salt water n Cp OED ~ sb 'sea-water' (esp 1440 quot), c. 'applied to the sea' (1843 quot), DAE 1 (1684 quot), EDD salt 9 (7) ~ water 'sea side' for sense 1. Cp FRESH a: FRESH WATER.
1 The sea, esp near the shore; inshore fishing grounds; the WATER.
1620 WHITBOURNE 38 [The fishing trade will profit] if those which yeerely adventure thither, will settle people in every harbor where they use to fish, and provide pannes in every such harbor to boyle salt to preserve their fish withal] [for] one panne will make aboue twentie bushels of good salt in every four and twentie houres for that purpose, onely with mans labour and the salt water. [1822] 1928 CORMACK28 We discovered that under the cover of the forest we had been uniformly ascending ever since we left the salt water at Random Bar. 1868 HOWLEY MS Reminiscences 31 They come up [the river] in winter cut all they want, drag it out to the river deposit it on the ice, and await the spring thaws to float it out to the salt water. 1912 Nfld Qtly July, p. 16 We see in great splendour the majestic range of mountains that run along the coast at an average distance of some ten miles from the salt water. T 178-65 And he was stopped, an' he said he saw he was to the salt water because he seen the kelp. 1975 BUTLER 117 That was, I think, the worst night I ever put in on salt water. P 245-75 'Don't go near the salt water' [Portugal Cove mother to small child on its way down to the wharf]. 1977 BUTLER 26 The night was a dreadful night on salt water, with the howling of the wind in the rigging. There were white smokes of wind as high as the hills and water blew over the vessel in sheets. 1975 COOK 56 Fish. Who cares about fish. Oh, they was necessary. On account o' them, we took to the salt water. 1978 WHALLEY 5 What gives definition and force to poems is not simply the subject-matter ... but something intrinsic, with its root in what has been experienced to the bone, its fibre in the taste of the words and names caught up in events. For Pratt, that was the sea—or, as a Newfoundlander would say. salt-water. 1981 Evening Telegram 10 Oct. p. 1 The young moose took to the salt water off Portugal Cove about 5 a.m. yesterday and ... kept going for 4 kilometres until it reached the beach at Bell Island.
2 Attrib salt-water bird: sea-bird, esp one hunted as food or bait; BIRD1.
[1831-9] 1863 HIND i, 17 The 'Brent Goose' may be considered as a salt-water bird, for it never ascends our rivers beyond the influence of the tides, nor is found on inland lakes or ponds, unless it be wounded. and happens to alight accidentally in such places. [1929] 1979 Evening Telegram 6 Mar, p. 5 Salt water birds are very scarce in Bonavista Bay this winter. 1975 GUY 96 There were ducks and geese and venison and salt water birds. 1977 Evening Telegram 17 June, p. 6 [The bull bird] is a salt water bird, weighs approximately four ounces... It used to be a great dish (still is).
salt-water cake, ~ pancake: in children's rhyme when playing ducks and drakes.
Q 67-42 Ducks and drakes / And salt water cakes / A bottle of brandy, O. Q 67-62 A duck and a drake and a salt water cake / And a penny all over the water. Q 67-79 A duck, a drake, a salt water cake and a bottle of Brandy O. A riddle used when rocks are skimmed across the water. When the rock hits the water the first time the thrower would say 'a duck.' At the second hitting in the water he would say 'a drake' and so on until the rock stopped skimming. If it skimmed more than four or five times then you would begin from the beginning of your riddle. Q 67-92 [In] skimming rocks on water we made salt water pancakes.
salt-water duck: see salt-water bird.
1959 MCATEE 17 ~ White-winged Scoter (Nfld.). T 43/4-64 In the winter they could look out an' see these salt water ducks, birds of all description, an' all they had to do was grab their gun an' go an' bring home [a] backload of 'em. T 398/947 I was out an' killed a good many sea ducks though, salt water ducks. C 70-21 When we had salt water duck for dinner we always kept the wishbone and put it away to dry. 1977 Evening Telegram 18 Feb, p. 1 On the lookout for salt water ducks, the prospective hunters were spotted on the weekend.
salt-water ice: sea ice formed in coastal waters as opposed to the arctic ice-floe; BAY ICE, HARBOUR ICE, LOCAL: local ice.
1836 [WIX]2 98-9 The women and children cut holes in the salt-water ice, and catch great quantities of codfish all through the winter. 1910 GRENFELL 89 We were crossing a large arm of the sea, and the salt water ice being a bit sticky I attempted to get off and walk. [1918-19] 1972 GORDON 47 Left Black Bear about 9.0 and struck in across the country for several miles... At last we came out onto the salt-water ice, and soon reached Long Pond. T 43-64 You had to travel ... over salt water ice, and then take the train at Lewisporte.
salt-water lake: see salt-water pond.
1849 [FEILD] 109 Just before the house is a salt-water lake, which rises and falls with the tide, though its connexion with the sea is not visible.
salt-water otter: variety of otter frequenting sea-coast.
1868 HOWLEY MS Reminiscences 43 It was a very fine salt water otter as large as two of the freshwater species.
salt-water pancake: see salt-water cake.
salt-water pigeon: sea pigeon or southern black guillemot (Cepphus grylle atlantis) (P 148-69). See WATER PIGEON.
1860 TAYLOR 271 A herring net was set inside of the cove, and two or three youths in a boat with a gun, were endeavouring to shoot a salt-water pigeon.
salt-water pond: small body of sea-water barely linked to the ocean.
[1774] 1792 CARTWRIGHT ii, 22 I killed a pair of black-ducks in a salt-water pond. 1979 O'FLAHERTY 179 A large female finback whale stranded itself by pursuing bait fish into a deep salt water pond near Burgeo.
salt-water rock: beach stone, worn round and smooth by the sea.
M 69-28 They kept the sick man warm by wrapping him in 'salt water rocks' since there was no central heating. These salt water rocks gotten from the seashore, were heated in the oven of the kitchen stove, and wrapped in old clothes to keep from burning the sick person. The rocks had to be from the sea-shore, because they hold the heat longer, and they have smooth surfaces. C 70-15 [In winter] every night about an hour before going to bed, salt-water rocks which had been heated in the oven were placed in the bed. Those rocks were shaped much like a curling-stone and were very smooth. Those used in our house had been given to my mother by her mother, and presumably had been obtained somewhere where heavy seas would roll the rocks on the beaches and in time they were worn smooth. Of course after the rocks were removed from the oven they were wrapped in old clothing such as sweaters so as not to burn the feet.
salt-water shore: heavy log used in wharf construction; SHORE2 .
P 245-74 ~ 7-10 in. [thick] log, driven into ground below tide-level to support a wharf or other heavy water-front structure.
salt-water snake: rock gunnel (Pholis gunnellus) (P 77-74); TANSY.
salt-water soap: home-made lye soap.
1932 BARBOUR 48 If we had some salt-water soap we would have been able to wash our faces, but there was nothing like that on board.
salt-water trout: sea-trout, esp arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus).
[1775] 1792 CARTWRIGHT ii, 95-6 Killed two hundred and twenty-five salmon, and a trout; such a one as neither I nor any of our people had ever seen before; ... the Indian boy called it a 'salt-water trout,' and said, the rivers to the northward had plenty of them.
salt-water worm: sea-worm; a marine annelid (Nereis spp) (P 154-78).
