water breaker

plural water breakers · alternative water-breaker

1. nauticalA container for storing water on a ship or other watercraft.

   […] under Hornblower’s eye the French captain and mate served out a biscuit of hard bread to each person in the boat, and filled the pannikin for each man in turn from the water breakers under the thwarts.

   1950, C. S. Forester, “The Penalty of Failure”, in Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, London: Michael Joseph

   2 more examples

   […] I came on deck, put down my own stock behind the rudder head and well out of the coxswain’s reach, went forward to the water-breaker, and had a good deep drink of water, and then, and not till then, gave Hands the brandy.

   1881–1882, Robert Louis Stevenson, “Chapter 25”, in Treasure Island, London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 14 November 1883, →OCLC

   I had only one canvas water-breaker; that was a big one, too big for me to carry single-handed from the spring to the dinghy. I should only be able to fill it half full—say seven or eight gallons on each journey.

   1926, Neville Shute, chapter 4, in Marazan, London: Cassell

2. An attachment fitted to a hose to produce a spray.