[f. COAST v. & sb.]
1. Sailing along the coast, or trading between the ports of a country. (See also 5.)
1679. J. Goodman, Penitent Pard., I. ii. (1713), 17. They are forced to sail by coasting, as they call it.
1720. De Foe, Capt. Singleton, xii. (1840), 207. He … was for … coasting up the west side of America.
1796. H. Hunter, trans. St.-Pierre’s Stud. Nat. (1799), I. 510. The most delightful voyages those which are a coasting along the land.
2. The configuration of the coast; delineation of a coast-line.
1621. Hakewill, David’s Vow, 95. The coasting of the whole world represented in a little map.
1712. Hughes, Spect., No. 554, ¶ 4. These, therefore, he could only mark down, like imperfect Coastings in Maps, or supposed Points of Land, to be further discovered.
† 3. In the following mod. edd. read accosting; but coasting may be used in that sense: cf. COAST v. 8, 9.
1606. Shaks., Tr. & Cr., IV. v. 59. Oh these encounterers so glib of tongue, That giue a coasting welcome ere it comes.
4. U.S. The winter sport of sliding on a sled down hill. Hence b. The action of shooting down hill on a bicycle or tricycle. Also attrib.
1854. ‘Fanny Fern,’ Little Ferns, 14 (Bartl.). I guess she [Aunt Libby] never broke one of the runners of her sled some Saturday afternoon, when it was ‘prime’ coasting.
1859. W. Boyd, Swartzen (1865), 4.
| Aboriginal toboggan, | |
| Excellent for coasting-party. |
1885. New Bk. Sports, 234. In Canada the people have almost given up the ordinary style of coasting, for a variation of the sport known as toboganning.
1887. Wheeling, 6 July, 208/1. As a ‘coasting’ saddle it is unexcelled.
5. attrib. and Comb. (in sense 1), as coasting-duty, -pilot, -trade, -vessel; † coasting iron, ? the iron in the sides of a ship.
1649. G. Daniel, Trinarch., Hen. V., xxxii. The Adamant, wch drew The Coasting Iron from the late proud Keeles.
1693. Capt. G. Collins (title), Great Britain’s Coasting Pilot.
1702. Lond. Gaz., No. 3826/3. With 4 or 5 Coasting-Vessels, under their Convoy.
1745. De Foe’s Eng. Tradesman, xxvi. (1841), I. 259. Our coasting trade is exceeding great.
1748. Anson’s Voy., III. vi. 345. Our sheet-anchor being obviously much too heavy for a coasting anchor.
1774. Hull Dock Act, 27. Such ships or vessels as shall pass coastwise, and be called coasting vessels.
1836. Macgillivray, trans. Humboldt’s Trav., iv. 63. The master of one of the canoes offered to remain on board as coasting pilot.
