in irons
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In fetters. A square-rigged sailing vessel is said to be in irons when the yards are so braced that some sails being full of wind and others aback, the vessel is temporarily unmanageable.
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 “in irons” mean?
In fetters. A square-rigged sailing vessel is said to be in irons when the yards are so braced that some sails being full of wind and others aback, the vessel is temporarily unmanageable.
Is “in irons” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.