Naut. A square sail bent to the lower yard of the mizen-mast.
1626. Capt. Smith, Accid. Yng. Sea-men, 17. A drift sayle, a crosiack, a netting sayle.
1769. Falconer, Dict. Marine (1789), Cross-jack, pronounced crojeck, a sail extended on the lower yard of the mizen-mast…. This sail … is … very seldom used.
1820. Scoresby, Acc. Arctic Reg., II. 197. In 1816, I fitted a main-sail and cross-jack in the same way.
1858. Merc. Marine Mag., V. 19. The sail taken off was the cross-jack and main-sail.
b. attrib., as cross-jack brace; cross-jack yard (see quot. 1867); cross-jack-eyed a. (Sailors’ slang) = CROSS-EYED.
1627. Capt. Smith, Seaman’s Gram., iii. 17. The Crosseiacke Yard and Spretsaile Yard to be of a length.
1840. R. H. Dana, Bef. Mast, xxiii. 69. I was stationed at the weather cross-jack braces.
1867. Smyth, Sailor’s Word-bk., Cross-jack-yard … the lower yard on the mizen-mast, to the arms of which the clues of the mizen top-sail are extended…. It is now very common in merchant ships to set a sail called a cross-jack upon this yard.
1892. Eng. Illustr. Mag., IX. 849. Haul in your weather cro’jack brace!
