Naval Terms Dictionary Author:John Vavasour Noel, Edward Latimer Beach With some 5,000 entries, this expanded and revised 4th edition is an easy-to-use compilation of technical terminology, colloquialisms and slang currently in use in the US Navy. — Up-to-date with Aegis and VSTOL, the book also includes a number of Old Navy terms such as cat-o'-nine-tails and USS Tuscarora, a mythical ship with 17 decks and a straw... more » bottom. Thrums, thwarts, and trunnions are concisely explained along with yoke, zenith, and syzygy, (syzygy being the "two opposite points in the orbit of the moon when it is in conjunction with or in opposition to the sun...") The entries are arranged alphabetically and italics are used to indicate cross-referenced words of phrases.« less