Part 537

WORKS. This term is generally understood to comprehend the fortifications about the body of a place; as by outworks are meant those without the first inclosure. The word is also used to signify the approaches of the besiegers, and the several lines, trenches, &c. made round a place, an army, or the like, for its security.

To WORM a Gun, (Décharger un canon avec la tire-bourre, Fr.) To take out the charge of a firearm by means of a worm.

Worm of a GUN, (Tire-bourre, Fr.) An instrument vermiculated or turned round, that serves to extract any thing into which it insinuates itself by means of a spiral direction. It is much the same as wad-hook, with this difference, that the one is more proper for small-arms, and the other for ordnance.

To WORST. To defeat, to overthrow.

WORSTED. Defeated; put to the rout.

WORTHY. A man particularly distinguished, more especially for his valor, as the worthies of antiquity.

WREATH of victory. The garland or chaple, of triumph. See TRIUMPH.

WRESTLER. One who contends in wrestling.

WRESTLING. A contest for ascendancy of bodily strength; as when two wrestlers attempt to throw each other down. It was in great vogue among the Olympic games.

WRONG. An injury; a designed or known detriment; not right, not justice.

WRONGS. We have already observed under the article Rights, that although they are not specifically mentioned or described in the mutiny bill, they nevertheless exist in military life. Every officer and soldier possesses rights, and when either is wronged he is authorized to seek for redress. In the articles of war, it is expressly laid down, that if any officer shall think himself to be wronged by his colonel, or the commanding officer, of the regiment, and shall upon due application made to him, be refused to be redressed, he may complain to the general commanding, in order to obtain justice; who is required to examine into such complaint; and either by himself or by the secretary at war, to make his report. It will be observed, that officers may be peremptorily dismissed the service without trial or investigation.

If any inferior officer, non-commissioned officer, or soldier shall think himself wronged by his captain, or other officer commanding the troop or company to which he belongs, he is to complain thereof to the commanding officer of the station or regiment.

WUHAH, Ind. Sandals.

WULANDA, or WULANDEZ, Ind. The Dutch are so called in India.

XEBEC, (Chébec, Fr.) A sort of armed vessel, with lateen sails, which is used in the Mediterranean.

XENOPHON. A Greek general who has rendered his name immortal by a well-conducted retreat; and is equally celebrated for good military maxims, which are still extant in his Cyropœdia.

XERIFF. A prince, or chief ruler in Barbary is so called.

XERXES. A king of Persia, son of Darius, and grandson of Cyrus. This monarch has been rendered notorious in history, by the extravagance of his preparations to invade Greece, and his ultimate failure; which latter may be attributed to the undisciplined state of his army, and to the presumption of his general Mardonius. He entered the Hellespont with so numerous a fleet, that it covered its surface between the two lands. The number he embarked exceeded 1,000,000 men, who were entirely defeated by 40,000 well-disciplined troops from Greece.

XYSTARCHA. In antiquity, the master and director of the Xystus.

In the Greek Gymnasium, the Xystarcha was the second officer, and the Gymnasiarcha the first; the former was his lieutenant, and presided over the two Xysti, as well as over every species of exercise that was practised therein.

XYSTER. An instrument used by surgeons to scrape and shave bones with.

XYSTUS. Among the ancients, a long portico, open or covered at the top, where the athletæ practised wrestling and running: the gladiators who exercised therein, were called Xystici.

Among the Romans, the xystus was only an alley, or double row of trees, meeting like an arbor, and forming a shade to walk under; so that, in this sense, it might be considered as an open walking place, where the Romans entertained one another.

YACHT, (Yacht, Fr.) This word is taken from the Dutch. It is a small ship with one deck, carrying four, eight, or twelve guns, and thirty or forty men. Yachts, in general, are from 30 to 160 tons; contrived and adorned both within side and without, for carrying state passengers. They answer the purposes of business as well as pleasure, being remarkable good sailers.

YADDASHT, Ind. A memorandum.

YEHOODY, Ind. A Jew.

YEOMAN. The French use this word when they allude to the yeomen of the guards. In a general acceptation of the word among us, yeoman signifies a free man, who has land of his own.

YEOMAN of the guard. One belonging to a sort of foot guards, who attend at the British king’s palace. The yeomen were uniformly required to be six feet high. They are in number 100 on constant duty, and 70 off duty. The one half wear arquebuses, and the other pertuisans. Their attendance is confined to the king’s person, both at home and abroad. They are clad after the manner of king Henry VIII., and are commonly known by the name of the beefeaters.