headrail

English

Etymology

head +‎ rail

Noun

headrail (plural headrails)

1. The supporting rail of a blind (such as a Venetian blind) that encloses its mechanism; a headbox.
2. (nautical) A railing, on a sailing ship, behind the figurehead.
3. (nautical, slang, obsolete, in the plural) A person's tooth.
   • 2011, Frederick Chamier, Life of a Sailor, page 148:

     Initially, our man was the favourite, the boat's crew cheering him on as usual: 'Now my boy! Knock out his head rails' . . .

References

• (teeth): 1873, John Camden Hotten, The Slang Dictionary

Anagrams

• rail head, railhead