writing or printing, a crooked line inclosing a passage, as in a triplet.

Braces, in the sea-language, are ropes belonging to all the yards of a ship except the mizen, two on each yard, reeved through blocks that are fastened to pennants, seized to the yard-arms. Their use is either to square or traverse the yards. Hence to brace the yard is to bring it to either side. All braces come afterward on. Thus the main brace comes to the poop; the main-top-sail brace comes to the mizen-top, and thence to the main shrouds; the fore and fore-top-sail braces come down by the main and main-top-sail stays; and so of the rest. But the mizen-bowline serves to brace to the yard, and the cross-jack braces are brought forwards to the main-shrouds, when the ship sails close on a wind.