sea-bread

A sailor shares a piece of sea-bread with a shipmate.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • Hard, dry biscuit used by sailors: "sea-bread" refers to a type of hard, dry biscuit or bread that was traditionally stored and consumed on ships during long sea voyages. It was designed to last for extended periods without spoiling, often being very tough and requiring soaking before eating.

Usage Examples

• (Hard, dry biscuits used as staple food on ships.)
• (The tough biscuit required softening before consumption.)

Advanced Usage

• "to break sea-bread": an old nautical phrase meaning to share a meal or to begin eating, especially in a communal setting on a ship.
  • The captain ordered the crew to break sea-bread before the storm arrived. (To begin eating the hard biscuits.)

Variants and Related Words

• Ship's biscuit (n): another common term for the same type of hard, dry bread used on ships.

  • The ship's biscuit was often infested with weevils after months at sea. (A synonym for sea-bread.)

• Hardtack (n): a modern equivalent of sea-bread, a simple, hard, dry biscuit used by military and sailors.

  • The soldiers carried hardtack as emergency rations. (A similar type of preserved bread.)

Synonyms

• Hardtack: a simple, hard, dry biscuit or cracker.
• Ship's biscuit: a biscuit traditionally used on ships.
• Pilot bread: a type of hard, dry cracker used on ships, especially in the 19th century.

Related Idioms

• "Hard as sea-bread": an idiom meaning something is extremely hard or difficult to break or chew.

  • The old loaf of bread was as hard as sea-bread, impossible to eat without soaking. (Extremely hard and dry.)

• "Eat like sea-bread": a phrase describing food that is tasteless, dry, and unappetizing.

  • The meal was so bland and dry that it felt like eating sea-bread. (Very unappealing food.)