pig yoken.
/ˈpɪɡ jəʊk/, U.S. /ˈpɪɡ ˌjoʊk/ Now rare.
1. Nautical slang. A sextant or quadrant.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the universe > cosmology > science of observation > astronomical instruments > measuring altitude > [noun] > quadrant or sextant
pig yoke1836
society > travel > travel by water > vessel, ship, or boat > equipment of vessel > navigational aids > [noun] > quadrant, sextant, etc.
quadrant?c1400
quadrate1551
sextant1628
sinical quadrant1669
bow1696
pig yoke1836
hog yoke1897
ham-bone1938
1836 F. Marryat Mr. Midshipman Easy I. xiv. 249 Old Smallsole could not do better with his ‘pig-yoke’ and compasses.
1891 New Era (Humeston Iowa) 2 Dec. I was allowed on the poop, and having an old ‘pig yoke’ was allowed to ‘shoot the sun’, working out the latitude by the old 89.48 method.
a1937 A. Gleaves Admiral (1985) iii. 28 A pawnshop in Charlestown..where there was a ‘pig-yoke’..which would be sufficient to answer the captain's requirement.
2. A frame of wood put around a pig's neck to prevent it from getting through hedges.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > keeping of pigs > [noun] > pig-yoke
hog yoke1573
pig yoke1845
1845 Knickerbocker 25 424 Yellow buttons..‘and geese’, as he said, ‘sittin' on a pig-yoke, printed on to 'em.’
1885 Athenæum 10 Oct. 468 The pig yoke was a wooden frame which was fastened around the necks of pigs to hinder them from forcing a way through hedges.
1919 Man 62 116 It is made precisely like a pig-yoke, the stone taking the place of the pig's neck.
1973 C. Geertz Interpr. Cultures v. xv. 420 An incestuous couple is forced to wear pig yokes over their necks and crawl to a pig trough.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1836