Phil in SF quoted Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, #2)
Young Fitz, the illegitimate son of the noble Prince Chivalry, is ignored by all royalty …
Soon the Rurisk would take on a character of its own; a bit of marlinspike work to make it easier to grip an oar, a splice in a line, all the nicks and dings of a well-used ship.
— Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, #2) (46%)
new vocabulary: marlinspike
A pointed metal tool used by sailors to separate strands of rope or wire