breeches buoy
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A pair of short canvas breeches forming a cradle in which, by means of a pulley and rope, people can be con- veyed from ship to ship or ship to shore.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “breeches buoy” mean?
A pair of short canvas breeches forming a cradle in which, by means of a pulley and rope, people can be con- veyed from ship to ship or ship to shore.
Is “breeches buoy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.