subs. (nautical).—An opening in the maintop, preferred before the shrouds by raw hands and timid climbers.

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  c. 1794.  WOLCOT (‘Peter Pindar’), Peter’s Prophecy, in Wks., vol. i. p. 446.

        And yet, Sir Joseph, Fame reports, you stole
To Fortune’s top-mast through the LUBBER-HOLE.

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  1822.  D. JERROLD, Black Ey’d Susan, ii. 2. Go up the futtock shrouds like a man—don’t creep through LUBBER’S HOLE.

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  1833.  MARRYAT, Peter Simple, I. vii. I was afraid to venture, and then he proposed that I should go through LUBBER’S HOLE, which he said had been made for people like me. I agreed to attempt it, as it appeared more easy, and at last arrived, quite out of breath, and very happy to find myself in the main-top.

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  1836.  M. SCOTT, The Cruise of the Midge, ch. xii. Why, captain, I have paid great attention since we embarked, and really I have become a very capital sailor, sir. Do you know I have been twice through the LUBBER’S HOLE?

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