HAWSER  (in sense and

form as if from " hawse," which, from the 16th-century form halse, is derived from Teutonic I01 pals, neck, of which there i$ a Scandinavian use in the sense of the forepart of a ship; the two words are not etymologically connected; " hawser " is from an O . Fr. haucier, hausser, to raise, tow, hoist, from the Late Lat. altiare, to lift, altus, high), a small cable or thick rope used at sea for the purposes of mooring or warping, in the case of large vessels made of steel . When a cable or tow line is made of three or more small ropes it is said to be " hawser-laid." The " hawse " of a ship is that part of the bows where the " hawse-holes " are made . These are two holes cut in the bows of a vessel for the cables to pass through, having small cast-iron pipes, called " hawse-pipes," fitted into them to prevent abrasion . In bad weather at sea these holes are plugged up with " hawse-plugs " to prevent the water entering . The phrase to enter the service by the " hawse-holes " is used of those who have risen from before the mast to commissioned rank in the navy .