breeches buoy


noun Nautical.

a rescue device consisting of a life buoy from which is suspended a canvas sling, similar in form to a pair of breeches, in which shipwrecked or disabled persons are hauled from a vessel to the shore or to another vessel by means of a rope and pulley between them.

Origin of breeches buoy

First recorded in 1875–80

Example sentences from the Web for breeches buoy

British Dictionary definitions for breeches buoy

breeches buoy

noun

a ring-shaped life buoy with a support in the form of a pair of short breeches, in which a person is suspended for safe transfer from a ship