water breaker

English

Alternative forms

• water-breaker

Noun

water breaker (plural water breakers)

1. (nautical) A container for storing water on a ship or other watercraft.
   • 1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Chapter 25”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC:

     […] I came on deck, put down my own stock behind the rudder head and well out of the coxswain’s reach, went forward to the water-breaker, and had a good deep drink of water, and then, and not till then, gave Hands the brandy.

   • 1926, Neville Shute, chapter 4, in Marazan‎^[1], London: Cassell:

     I had only one canvas water-breaker; that was a big one, too big for me to carry single-handed from the spring to the dinghy. I should only be able to fill it half full—say seven or eight gallons on each journey.

   • 1950, C. S. Forester, “The Penalty of Failure”, in Mr. Midshipman Hornblower‎^[2], London: Michael Joseph:

     […] under Hornblower’s eye the French captain and mate served out a biscuit of hard bread to each person in the boat, and filled the pannikin for each man in turn from the water breakers under the thwarts.

2. An attachment fitted to a hose to produce a spray.