bent on a splice
An older sailing phrase meaning about to or intending to get married. "Bent" in this context means determined or set (on a course of action), and "splice" refers to two ropes that have been joined to create a single, larger one. I can't wait for this voyage to be over, for I'm bent on a splice to my lady as soon as we reach home. I heard you two are bent on a splice! So when's the wedding? Find a lovely lass, get bent on a splice, and say goodbye to life on the salty seas!
get spliced
slang To get married. Primarily heard in UK. My fiancé wants to get spliced in some big, elaborate ceremony, and I really don't. Did you hear? Bill and David got spliced last week! I'm not surprised those two got spliced—I mean, they've been dating since high school.
splice (something) to (something else)
To join something to something else by binding, adhering, or interweaving the end points. I bought some new wire and spliced it to the old one at the point where it had been severed. In the old days, film editors had to physically cut up the filmstrips and splice them to one another.
splice the mainbrace
nautical To issue and partake in an extra ration of alcoholic spirits, especially rum or grog, amongst members of crew aboard a sea vessel. The mainbrace (also spelled "main brace") is a brace attached to the main yard on sailing ships. "Splicing the mainbrace" originally referred to the very difficult job of repairing this brace, one which earned the repairman an extra ration of spirits; eventually, this euphemistic secondary meaning became the primary one. As part of the celebrations for her Diamond Jubilee, the Queen gave the order to all in the Royal Navy to splice the mainbrace as a gesture of good cheer.
splice together
1. To join two or more things or pieces together by overlapping and binding them at the ends. A noun or pronoun can be used between "splice" and "together." In the old days, film editors had to splice together filmstrips by hand. The wall we're building is longer than the lumber they gave us, so we'll have to splice the planks together to reach the length we need.
2. To interweave the strands of multiple fibrous structures in order to join them as one. A noun or pronoun can be used between "splice" and "together." You can undo the end of a rope, then splice it together with itself You'll need to splice the wires together in order to get the machine working again.
3. To combine two or more different things in order to alter something or create something new. A noun or pronoun can be used between "splice" and "together." The movie shift in tone so dramatically halfway through that you'd be forgiven for thinking that it had been spliced together from two different films. The author's latest book is little more than a rehash of the last three, splicing together the most memorable moments of each into a single narrative.
4. To cause two or more genetic samples to undergo recombination; to mix together the genes of two or more disparate things. A noun or pronoun can be used between "splice" and "together." The mad scientist was arrested for trying to splice humans and dolphins together. We've spliced together these different strains of tomato in order to create a breed that can withstand both intense high and low temperatures.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
splice something (in)to something
to connect something to something; to cut and join something into something to connect the two. The workers spliced the small wires into the main cable. Let's splice this rope into the larger one at the halfway point.
splice something together
to connect things together, usually by twisting or tying a joint between the two. I spent over an hour splicing the two ends of the ropes together, and it didn't hold for even a minute. He carefully spliced together the two ropes.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.