Sunday, March 8, 2009

bight

In geography, bight has two meanings.

A bight can be simply a bend or curve in any geographical feature—usually a bend or curve in the line between land and water.

Alternatively, the term can refer to a large (and often only slightly receding) bay. It is distinguished from a sound by being shallower. Traditionally explorers defined a bight as a bay that could be sailed out of on a single tack in a square-rigged sailing vessel, regardless of the direction of the wind (typically meaning the apex of the bight is less than 25 degrees from the edges).

talk nineteen to the dozen

  to speak rapidly and without stopping