Wordie: Quoin: Comments

Comment by yarb, 2 months ago

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 21:01:55 +0000

Quoin is not a Euclidean term. It belongs to the pure nautical mathematics. I know not that it has been defined before. A quoin is a solid which differs from a wedge in having its sharp end formed by the steep inclination of one side, instead of the mutual tapering of both sides.

- Melville, Moby-Dick, ch. 77

Comment by rocksinmypockets, 11 months ago

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 17:35:49 +0000

Haha, now that the WordNet definition is hovering next to the word my comment looks redundant.

Comment by rocksinmypockets, 11 months ago

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:57:15 +0000

Interesting. It is also a letterpress term for a small, wedge-shaped piece of metal with teeth on one side. Used in sets of two, with their teeth facing eachother, quoins form an expandable rectangle that sits between blocks of wood (called furniture) on the press bed, and are tightened with a quoin key to secure type in place for printing.

Comment by chained_bear, 11 months ago

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 00:03:55 +0000

I think this word also describes an angular block of wood, with a "handle" on one end, placed under the butt of a cannon barrel to to help aim it downward. When the quoin is removed, the barrel rests on the gun carriage and points skyward--not directly, but at too high an angle to fire effectively.

More commonly the bricks on the corner of a building. Also see coign.

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 23:46:36 +0000