Spindrift
Spindrift (more rarely spoondrift)[1] usually refers to spray, particularly to the spray blown from cresting waves during a gale. This spray, which "drifts" in the direction of the gale, is one of the characteristics of a wind speed of 8 Beaufort and higher at sea.
In Great Britain "spindrift" is the telltale sign used by mariners to define a Force 8 (Beaufort Scale) wind (not higher) when observed at sea. See this example of information provided by Lymington Harbour authority, Hampshire, England, UK, explaining the whole scale, the associated wind speeds, and its telltale signs. Text from the site[2] states:
Force 8, defined as "Gale". Wind speed 39-46 mph, equal to 34-40 knots. Inland, twigs break off trees; progress generally impeded. At sea, moderately high waves of greater length; edges of crests begin to break into spindrift; foam is blown in well-marked streaks along the direction of the wind.
Relatedly, spindrift can also be used to describe fine sand or snow that is blown off by the wind.[3]
Spindrift is a southern English word, Spoondrift a northern or Scottish word. The Scottish word spoondrift can be used to describe fine snow that is blown off the hills by the wind.
Some sources[4] regard "spoondrift" as a direct alternative to "spindrift" in all its uses.
In Greek and Roman mythology, Leucothea is considered the goddess of spindrift.[5]
In popular culture
The trans-orbital transport spacecraft in Irwin Allen's 1968 television series Land of the Giants was called Spindrift.
The progressive rock band Rush references the phenomenon in the song Spindrift on their 2007 album Snakes and Arrows with lyrics that describe "spray that's torn away".[6]
References
- ^ Shorter Oxford English dictionary. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 3804. ISBN 978-0199206872.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Spindrift entry on Merriam Webster. Retrieved 20 July 2008.
- ^ http://www.crosswordsolver.org/definition/S/spoondrift
- ^ See footnote 117 in Marcel Proust, In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower, trans. James Grieve (New York: Penguin Books, 2002).
- ^ Body, Alex E. (20 June 2019). Rush : song by song. [Stroud, Gloucestershire, England]. pp. chapter 18. ISBN 978-1-78155-729-7. OCLC 1088907970.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)