E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Hawse-hole.
He has crept through the hawse-hole, or He has come in at the hawse-hole. That is, he entered the service in the lowest grade; he rose from the ranks. A naval phrase. The hawse-hole of a ship is that through which the cable of the anchor runs.
