E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Browse his Jib (To).
A sailor’s phrase, meaning to drink till the face is flushed and swollen. The jib means the face, and to browse here means “to fatten.”
1
The only correct form of the phrase, however, is “to bowse his jib.” To bowse the jib means to haul the sail taut; and as a metaphor signifies that a man is “tight.”
The only correct form of the phrase, however, is “to bowse his jib.” To bowse the jib means to haul the sail taut; and as a metaphor signifies that a man is “tight.”
