Baptism of the Line
Baptism of the Line
A curious rite performed on persons crossing the equator for the first time. The sailors dressed themselves in quaint costumes. The "father of the line" arrived in a cask, accompanied by a courier, a devil, a hairdresser, and a miller. The unfortunate passenger had his hair curled, was liberally sprinkled with flour, and then had water showered upon him, if he was not dunked. The origin of this custom is not known, nor is it quite clear what part the devil played in it. The custom is reminiscent of the traditional initiatory rites of apprentices in trade guilds such as printing, and it may also be a precursor of initiations in college fraternities.
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Line , line1 / līn/ • n. 1. a long, narrow mark or band: a row of closely spaced dots will look like a continuous line I can't draw a straight line. ∎ Math.… custom , cus·tom / ˈkəstəm/ • n. 1. a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or t… Slope , Skip to main content
Slope
slope / slōp/ • n. 1. a surface of which one end or side is at a higher level than another; a rising or falling surface: h… Cotidal Line , Skip to main content
cotidal line baseline , baseline •catchline • dragline • tramline •landline • strapline • chatline •carline •breadline, deadline, headline, redline •neckline • hemline • hel… borderline , borderline •catchline • dragline • tramline •landline • strapline • chatline •carline •breadline, deadline, headline, redline •neckline • hemline • h…
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Baptism of the Line