BRACE. The braces are ropes belonging to all the yards of a ship; two to each yard, rove through blocks that are stropped to the yards, or fastened to pendants, seized to the yard-arms. Their use is either to square or traverse the yards horizontally; hence, _to brace the yard_, is to bring it to either side by means of the braces. In ship-building, braces are plates of iron, copper, or mixed metal, which are used to bind efficiently a weakness in a vessel; as also to receive the pintles by which the rudder is hung. BRACE ABACK. To brace the yards in, so as to lay the sails aback.--_To brace about_, to turn the yards round for the contrary tack, or in consequence of a change of wind.--_To brace abox_, a manœuvre to insure casting the right way, by bracing the head-yards flat aback (not square).--_To brace by_, to brace the yards in contrary directions to each other on the different masts, to effect the stopping of the vessel. (_See_ COUNTER-BRACE.)--_To brace in_, to lay the yard less oblique, as for a free wind, or nearly square.--_To brace round_, synonymous with brace about.--_To brace sharp_, to cause the yards to have the smallest possible angle with the keel, for the ship to have head-way: deemed generally to form an angle of 20° with the keel.--_To brace to_, is to check or ease off the lee braces, and round in the weather ones, to assist in the manœuvre of tacking or wearing.--_To brace up_, or _brace sharp up_, to lay the yards more obliquely fore and aft, by easing off the weather-braces and hauling in the lee ones, which enables a ship to lie as close to the wind as possible. BRACE OF SHAKES. A moment: taken from the flapping of a sail. I will be with you before it shakes thrice. BRACE PENDANTS. Are lengths of rope, or now more generally chain, into which the yard-arm brace-blocks are spliced. They are used in the merchant service to save rope, to give the blocks more freedom for slewing to their work, but chiefly because when the brace is let go, the falling chain will overhaul it, making it easier to haul in the other brace. BRACE UP AND HAUL AFT! The order usually given after being hove-to, with fore or main top-sail square or aback, and jib-sheet flowing, _i.e._ haul aft jib-sheet, brace up the yards which had been squared, for the purpose of heaving to. BRACK. The Manx or Gaelic name for mackerel. BRACKETS. Short crooked timbers resembling knees, fixed in the frame of a ship's head to support the gratings; they likewise served to support and ornament the gallery. Also, the two vertical side-pieces of the carriage of any piece of ordnance, which support it by the trunnions. Called also cheeks. Also, triangular supports to miscellaneous things. BRACKISH. Water not fresh; from the Icelandic _breke_, the sea. BRADS. Small nails. BRAE. A declivity or precipice. BRAGGIR. The name given in the Western Islands of Scotland to the broad leaves growing on the top of the _Alga marina_, or sea-grass.