word of the day: nun buoy
context:
In mid-harbor he turned his back on the lights and Liberty’s statue. Hard by the Bayonne shore, he skirted a nun buoy and passed under the lighted fantail of an enormous container ship riding at anchor. Three Filipino crewmen leaned against the rail, smoking, looking silently down on him.
definition (Merriam-Webster): a red metal buoy made of two cones joined at the base and usually marking the starboard side of a channel approached from the sea
Another source gives the origin of the “nun” part as meaning a “spinning top.” I learned “buoy” phonetically as “boo-ee,” but apparently it’s also pronounced “boy.” Thus the nun buoy could be a boy nun, which is rather fun. Or maybe none boy?
source:
Outerbridge Reach
by Robert Stone
1992. Ticknor & Fields, New York NY
No comments:
Post a Comment