I say, brothers, if there is a man among you all who has had the advantage of a sea education, let him speak, in order that the truth of this matter may not be hid, like a Marling-spike jammed between a brace-block and a blackened yard."
"The Red Rover"
James Fenimore Cooper
I see I may as well lay aside my gown, and own the Marling-spike!
"The Red Rover"
James Fenimore Cooper
They got no further, for we fell upon them with Marling-spikes and hatchets, stripped them of their feathers, and sent them to cool their heads in the muddy river.
"Salute to Adventurers"
John Buchan