Not P but Moby-Dick (30)

[Ian Livingston]

"Her" is the whale boat they row. Each unified pull of the oars causes the
boat to lurch forward."Start her," then, means to pull in unison on the
oars. "Start her" = lurch, glide, lurch...

On Sun, Oct 22, 2023 at 2:09 AM Mike Jing <gravitys.rainbow.cn at gmail.com>
wrote:

> From Chapter 48:
>
> Why in the name of gudgeons and ginger-cakes don’t ye pull?—pull and break
> something! pull, and start your eyes out! Here!” whipping out the sharp
> knife from his girdle; “every mother’s son of ye draw his knife, and pull
> with the blade between his teeth. That’s it—that’s it. Now ye do something;
> that looks like it, my steel-bits. Start her—start her, my silver-spoons!
> Start her, marling-spikes!”
>
> What does "Start her" mean here?
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>