wager-boat

English

Noun

wager-boat (plural wager-boats)

1. A high-performance boat for sculling, and winning wagers.
   • 1908, Kenneth Grahame, chapter 1, in The Wind in the Willows, London: Methuen:

     From where they sat they could get a glimpse of the main stream […]; and just then a wager-boat flashed into view, the rower—a short, stout figure—splashing badly and rolling a good deal, but working his hardest. The Rat stood up and hailed him, but Toad—for it was he—shook his head and settled sternly to his work.