half-pike

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English

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Noun

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half-pike (plural half-pikes)

  1. (military) A short pike, sometimes carried by officers of infantry, sometimes used in boarding ships; a spontoon
    • 1709-1711, The Tatler
      paying the Salute with the Halfpike
  2. (diving, gymnastics) A position with the knees straight and the body bent at the waist so that the torso is perpendicular to the legs.