SMITING-LINE, in a ship, is a small rope fastened to the mizen-yard arm, below at the deck, and is always furled up with the mizen-fall, even to the upper end of the yard, and thence it comes down to the poop. Its use is to loose the mizen-fall without striking down the yard, which is easily done, because the mizen-fall is furled up only with rope-yarns; and therefore when this rope is pulled hard, it breaks all the rope-yarns, and so the fall falls down of itself. The sailor's phrase is, smite the mizen (whence this rope takes its name), that is, hale by this rope that the fall may fall down.