sail n For combs. in sense 2: DAE sail loft (1759-); cp OED ~ sb1 10 ~ room 'room (in a ship) for storing sails' (1805).
1 A piece of canvas using wind power to propel sled over ice or snow.
C 69-2 The men when they used to go in the woods on Paddy's Day would always get a green bough, preferably a pine, and put it at the top of the sail on the slide. The sails were usually square or triangular in shape.
2 Comb sail-loft: room on a fishing premises in which sails are stored and repaired; LOFT.
[1900 OLIVER & BURKE] 45 He hauled her along proudly, past Shambler's old sail loft. 1904 Nfld Qtly Dec, p. 17 Not infrequently a sail loft, or the upper storey of a fish store was dubbed with the exalted name of a school. T 141/69-652 We put our mainsail in the sail loft-a feller there doin' canvas. 1977 BUTLER 81 The next day ... we unloaded the boat, unbent the sails, put them in the sail loft, moored the boat for the winter.
sail-palm: in sail-making, leather device worn on hand to push needle through the canvas; palm.
1972 MURRAY 276 For working by hand, there was a special 'sailneedle' (triangular instead of round) and a 'sail palm' made of leather with a round metal section for forcing the needle through the heavy material. T 187/90-65 Oh I know what he is—a sail palm.
sail-room: see sail-loft.
1836 [WIX]2 65 Two full services in the sail-room of Messrs Newman and Hunt.
sail-skiff: small vessel or large boat driven by sail and oar; SKIFF.
T 191-65 An' they were rowing down the ol' sail skiffs, you know. They used to go up the bay them times about fifteen, twenty miles, for a load o' wood, firewood. T 185-65 I used to be goin' around here in the sail skiff with 'em when they'd be carrying round loads o' fish.
