Definition

Noun: A jolly boat is a small, clinker-built ship's boat, typically a yawl, used by sailors for general work and transportation between a ship and the shore or other vessels.

Usage

The term is used specifically in a nautical context to refer to a practical workboat carried by larger ships. * The captain ordered the crew to lower the jolly boat for a trip to the harbor. * Supplies were ferried from the merchant ship using its jolly boat.

Advanced Usage

• Historically, the jolly boat was often the smallest boat carried on a sailing ship, used for tasks like fetching water, carrying messages, or light work where a larger launch or cutter was unnecessary.

Variants and Related Words

• Ship's boat (n): A general term for any small boat carried on a ship.
• Yawl (n): A type of two-masted sailing boat or, in this context, a small ship's boat with four or six oars.
• Cutter (n): A larger, broader ship's boat often used for similar purposes.
• Dinghy (n): A modern equivalent; a small boat for general utility use.

Synonyms

• Tender
• Ship's dinghy
• Utility boat

Notes on Meaning

This is a specific, historical term for a type of vessel. Its use in modern English is largely confined to historical, nautical, or literary contexts describing age of sail or traditional seamanship.

Noun

1. a yawl used by a ship's sailors for general work