Reel vs Reef - What's the difference?
reel | reef |
A lively dance of the Highlanders of Scotland; also, the music to the dance; -- often called Scotch reel.
A frame with radial arms, or a kind of spool, turning on an axis, on which yarn, threads, lines, or the like, are wound
A machine on which yarn is wound and measured into lays and hanks, -- for cotton or linen it is fifty-four inches in circuit; for worsted, thirty inches.
A device consisting of radial arms with horizontal stats, connected with a harvesting machine, for holding the stalks of grain in position to be cut by the knives.
A short compilation of sample film work used as a demonstrative resume in the entertainment industry.
To wind on a reel.
To spin or revolve repeatedly.
To unwind, to bring or acquire something by spinning or winding something else.
To walk shakily or unsteadily; to stagger; move as if drunk or not in control of oneself.
* {{quote-book, year=1907, author=
, title=The Dust of Conflict
, chapter=30 * Bible, Psalms cvii. 27
* Alexander Pope
* Macaulay
(reel back) To back off or step away unsteadily and quickly.
To make or cause to reel.
To have a whirling sensation; to be giddy.
* Nathaniel Hawthorne
To be in shock.
* 2012 October 31, David M. Halbfinger, "[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/nyregion/new-jersey-continues-to-cope-with-hurricane-sandy.html?hp]," New York Times (retrieved 31 October 2012):
(obsolete) To roll.
* Spenser
Scabby; scurvy.
A chain or range of rocks, sand, or coral lying at or near the surface of the water.
(Australia, South Africa) A large vein of auriferous quartz; hence, any body of rock yielding valuable ore.
(nautical) A portion of a sail rolled and tied down to lessen the area exposed in a high wind.
A reef knot.
(nautical) To take in part of a sail in order to adapt the size of the sail to the force of the wind.
* 1970' July–December, Margaret Quilty, ''Roller '''Reefing Made Easy'', '' ,
* 1995 , David Seidman, The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing ,
* 2004 , Charlie Wing, How Boat Things Work ,
(Australian) To pull or yank strongly.
* 1986 , Jan Wositzky, Me and Phar Lap: The Remarkable Life of Tommy Woodcock , 2011,
* 1994 , Herb Wharton, Cattle Camp: Murrie Drovers and Their Stories , 2010,
* 2007 , Marion Houldsworth, Maybe It?ll Rain Tomorrow , 2012,
(nautical, of paddles) To move the floats of a paddle wheel toward its center so that they will not dip so deeply.
As nouns the difference between reel and reef
is that reel is real (reality) while reef is hoop (metal band on a barrel).As an adjective reel
is real (true, fact, not fictional).reel
English
(wikipedia reel)Noun
(en noun)- a log reel , used by seamen
- an angler's reel
- a garden reel
- (McElrath)
Verb
(en verb)- He reeled off some tape from the roll and sealed the package.
citation, passage=It was by his order the shattered leading company flung itself into the houses when the Sin Verguenza were met by an enfilading volley as they reeled into the calle.}}
- They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man.
- He, with heavy fumes oppressed, / Reeled from the palace, and retired to rest.
- the wagons reeling under the yellow sheaves
- He reeled back from the punch.
- In these lengthened vigils his brain often reeled .
- New Jersey was reeling on Wednesday from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, which has caused catastrophic flooding here in Hoboken and in other New York City suburbs, destroyed entire neighborhoods across the state and wiped out iconic boardwalks in shore towns that had enchanted generations of vacationgoers.
- And Sisyphus an huge round stone did reel .
Quotations
; to stagger * 1996 , , Virago Press, paperback edition, page 111 *: Sarah reels a little, nevertheless, under the dog's boisterous greeting.Derived terms
* reel in * reel offAnagrams
* * ----reef
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) ref, hreof, from (etyl) . Compare (l), (l).Alternative forms
* (l), (l) (Scotland)Adjective
(en-adj)Etymology 2
From earlier riff, from (etyl) rif, from (etyl) . More at (l).Alternative forms
* (l) (obsolete)Noun
(wikipedia reef) (en noun)Derived terms
* coral reef * close reef * reef band * reef knot * reef line * reef points * reef rash * reef tackle * take a reef inVerb
page 63,
- Be sure the blocks are securely mounted—they carry a fairish load when the sail is reefed .
- If both reefing line and main halyard are led to the cockpit, even singlehanded reefing is a breeze.
page 104,
- Mains are made smaller by reefing . This can be done by rolling up the sail around the boom, or by the more traditional method of tying down a panel along the foot.
page 108,
- The reefing system for a mainsail must be designed to operate efficiently under adverse conditions and to provide proper sail shape when reefed .
page 49,
- And when the Cup came on he stirred them up ?round the barrier and he flew out of the barrier and he pulled and reefed' and pulled and ' reefed and Lewis didn?t let him settle down until about three furlongs from home and when he did settle the horse was all out of stride and he went back through the field a fair bit.
page 73,
- Alf told me that one young white stockman, eager to impress the girls, went outside and mounted his horse, then began showing off his prowess, racing past the pub, wheeling and reefing his horse up and down the street, yackeyeing and whooping, flogging his horse with a battered old hat and always turning towards the pub to see if the girls were watching these feats of horsemanship.
page 104,
- head stockman would say ‘Cut one out but take him at a walk.? And if you could get that beast out without reefing your horse around, the head stockman – he?d be a pretty cluey old coot - he?s watching that horse?s ears more than what you were doing.
- Reef the paddles.