Idiom idiom
splice the mainbrace
Meaning
To have an alcoholic drink.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“It is time to splice the mainbrace after a long week.”
“The crew decided to splice the mainbrace to celebrate finishing the difficult project on time.”
“Following the successful conclusion of the voyage, the captain invited the officers to splice the mainbrace in the wardroom.”
Origin
From splice + mainbrace. Splicing the mainbrace, a heavy piece of running rigging that supported the main yard, was a skilful and arduous task, so that the men responsible would be rewarded with an extra tot of rum. Nowadays, a ceremonial order to pour a drink for a ship's company.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026