afterguy

noun

af·​ter·​guy ˈaf-tər-ˌgī 

plural afterguys

sailing

: a guy rope that is attached to the windward clew of a spinnaker and used to rotate the spinnaker pole around the mast

Set the pole on the windward side, secure the pole lift and foreguy, and drop the afterguy through the jaws in the end of the pole.

—Robby Robinson, The International Marine Book of Sailing, 2009

Word History

Etymology

after- + guy entry 2

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined above

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