splinter n OED ~ sb 2 obs (1597-1820) for sense 1.
1 A surgical splint.
T 207-65 He chopped off his two fingers. He come in and hold 'em up. His father took the two of 'em and stuck 'em on, and splintered 'em up with splinters, and they growed on.
2 Comb splinter boat, ~ fleet: type of wooden ship (P 245-64).
1973 HORWOOD 93 His position included supervision of a fleet of boats known locally as the Splinter Fleet,
but officially as the Clarenville Fleet. 1976 Evening Telegram 31 Jan, p. 2 The 90-foot boat was built in
Nova Scotia about 17 years ago and Capt Bennett said she is a 'double-ender,' that is the stern is similar to the
bow, and she resembles the well-known 'splinter boats' that were built years ago in Newfoundland, although
they were normally bigger. 1979 Evening Telegram 15 Oct, p. 6 He was offered the command of the wooden
motor vessel Trepassey (one of Newfoundland's war time built 'splinter fleet') in which he took a naval crew
and scientific party to the Falkland Islands.
