snatch block

English

Snatch Block and tackles

Noun

snatch block (plural snatch blocks)

1. (nautical) A kind of block with an opening in one side to receive the bight of a rope.
2. A block equipped with a hook that hooks a cable so that it can be doubled back on itself in order to double the load carrying ability of the cable.
   • 1964, United States Department of the Army, Cableways, Tramways and Suspension Bridges, page 117:

     On a tramway installation, drag the haul rope through each intermediate tower, placing it in the snatch block as the tower is passed to lighten the load.

   • 1990 December, Joe Skorupa, “Wilderness Winching”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 167, number 12, page 84:

     To effectively double the pulling power of a winch, you can use a snatch block.

References

• “snatch block”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.