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Marine Terminology
The Expanded Dictionary

By Larry Bozka


DragweedNear the shore and on the sea, there are a multitude of unique scenarios and situations for which the English language has no adequate description through word or phrase. Thus, I humbly offer you these useful new introductions to contemporary angling verbiage:

Amberjackass (am' bur jack ass) -person who uses light tackle to dangle large baits within the legs of an offshore oil rig.
Example: "Hope that amberjackass has a spare rod and reel; he's about to lose that one."

Aromatose (uh row' muh tose) - unstable mental state caused by scent of three-day old mullet in empty livewell.
Example: "Bubba is still aromatose, thanks to your carelessness!"

Bailster (bale' stir) - wound inflicted by resting thumb on trolling reel bail immediately prior to a vicious strike.
Example: "That danged kingfish gave me a bailster the size of a quarter."

Barnaclaustrophobic (bar nuh clause tro foe' bik) - anxiety caused by placing bait or lure too close to wooden pilings.
Example: "I ain't castin' over there, Roy. That stickup makes me awful barnaclaustrophobic."

Bilgae (bill' gee) - slimy substance found beneath the floorboards of a fishing boat.
Example: "Hey, swabby! After you polish the teak, do something about that stinking bilgae."

Bononucleosis (bo no new clee oh' sis) -malady often suffered after kissing a bonefish before letting it go.
Example: "In his excitement, Ed kissed the first 'gray ghost' he'd ever taken on a fly rod. Joy gave way to fear, however, when he suddenly realized he had very likely been exposed to bononucleosis."

Cardiopiscatorial (car dee oh pis cah tor' ee al) - heart condition sometimes suffered by anglers who experience unanticipated strikes from very large fish (in freshwater circles, often referred to as a "gardiac" condition).
Example: "The cardiopiscatorial impact of the huge blue marlin was simply too much for Leonard's weak heart to withstand."

Catupuncture (kat' yew punk shur) - wound inflicted by a hardhead catfish.
Example: "Squeeze that little sucker's head with your pliers and twist him off, or you're liable to get catupuncture."

Chummery (chum' er ee) - place of refuge below deck for seasick sailors.
Example: "You're messing up the deck, Earl! Get thee to a chummery."

Costeaudian (cus toe' de un) - angler who watches Jacques Costeau re-runs on the Discovery Channel at every opportunity.
Example: "Jim Bob can't do without cable TV. He's a costeaudian, you know."

Deepcellanoma (deep cell uh no' muh) - condition brought on after a deep-cycle accessory battery is drained and re-charged one too many times.
Example: "She ain't takin' a charge, Will. Must be deepcellanoma."

Dragweed (drag' weed) - snagged sargassum.
Example: "No wonder that lure's runnin' so strange. It's full of dragweed."

Gafftereffects (gaf' ter e fex) - slime, blood, etc., left on deck after landing a large fish.
Example: "Wash that deck down really good. We don't wanna be slippin' around on the gafftereffects."

Gillneutered ( gil' new terd) - illegal commercial fisherman who has been thwarted by game wardens.
Example: "Billy Joe was really rakin' in the bucks on those reds until he got gillneutered."

Granitalia (gran i tale' ee uh) - debris extending from jetty bases which tends to snag terminal rigs and fishing lures.
Example: "Keep that bait up off the bottom or you'll lose it in the granitalia."

GrouperficialGrouperficial (grew per fish' ul) - relating to subtle effects of catching a large bottom fish.
Example: "The snapper's gill plate cut my hand, but the wound, fortunately, was only grouperficial."

Jigonometry (jig oh nom' uh tree) - art and science of ascertaining the proper weight for a lead-head jig.
Example: "Riggin' this here Mr. Wiggly shadtail with the right lead-head calls for a bit of jigonometry."

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