Moses boat
Preserved but no longer current.
U.S.A. A type of boat made at Salisbury, Mass., by a famous boat-builder, Moses Lowell, in the 18th century. Farther south (in the West Indies), it is said to have been a boat of sufficient capacity to take a hogshead of sugar from shore to ship in one trip.
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 “Moses boat” mean?
U.S.A. A type of boat made at Salisbury, Mass., by a famous boat-builder, Moses Lowell, in the 18th century. Farther south (in the West Indies), it is said to have been a boat of sufficient capacity to take a hogshead of sugar from shore to ship in one trip.
Is “Moses boat” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.