foot n pl [phonetics unavailable]. Cp HEAD n 3.
   1 The bottom or lower part of a seal-net, fish-net, etc, weighted to sink the device in the water.
   1792 CARTWRIGHT Gloss i, xiv The foot of [the shoal-net] is brought to, on a shallop's old rode, and the head, on two fishing-lines; with corks between. [1886] LLOYD 51-2 The [seal) nets are heavily leaded on the foot or bottom, and are placed in a perpendicular position on the bottom of the sea, the head or upper side of the net being supported by floats. 1937 DEVINE 22 Foots. The bottom of nets, where the leads are attached. In hauling home the linnet, so as to lose no fish, the frequent orders of the skipper would be heard: 'Pull on (or easy on) the foots.' T 80/3-64 You heave the edge clear; well now, the feller that heave the voots had to heave linnet an' all, an' an awful weight to pick up. M 69-23 [Parts of a cod-trap include:) back foots, leader foots, side-wall foots. P 90-73 The leader is the same depth as the trap [and] is brought to along the head rope at about the thirds or slightly under, and along the foot rope of full thirds or slightly over. This is so that the foots will be longer than the heads. All straight nets are brought to, so that the foots are longer than the heads.
   2 Comb foot rope: a weighted line attached to the bottom of a net; foot-line.
    (1776] 1792 CARTWRIGHT ii, 177 I sent five hands in a skiff to Laar Cove to look for the nets, which we lost there last fall; they found the foot-ropes of two, with the killicks and moorings, but the lennet was all rotted off.
   [1802] 1895 PROWSE 419 About fifty pounds weight of strong twine will be required to make a [seal] net, the half worn small hawsers, which the boats have used in the summer fishery, serve for foot ropes. 1861 DE BOILIEU 85 [The seal-net] is set to any depth of water not exceeding fifteen fathoms nor less than three, and is moored by a couple of killicks, fastened by eight or ten fathoms of rope to the ends of the foot-rope, which, by its weight, keeps the end of the net close to the bottom of the water, while the corks make it stand perpendicular. 1895 GRENFELL 71 Thus the whole school are enclosed. Now the weighted foot rope is 'gathered' together, the net has become one vast bag, and the prisoners are dealt with as before, i.e. dipped out and bagged off. T 25-64 They'd shoot the seine right around, then pull it in till they'd get it nearly into the beach and they draw it by pulling up the footropes. They get huge catches of fish like this. T 187/90-65 When you'm bringing to a net you put on perhaps a ball here and a ball there, a couple o' fathom apart [so they] don't tangle up the linnet; your foot rope'd just about fit that, and 'cordin' as you heaves away your net he'd sink to the bottom. 1977 Evening Telegram 28 Apr, p. 42 Tenders are invited for the purchase of ... approximately 600 lbs of seine leads, complete with footrope and leadrope.

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