half-starvin

Updated: May 27, 2025

"I did not mean that; but some half-starvin' oiler or, maybe, trimmer must ha' opened it awhile to mak' sure o' leavin' the Grotkau. It's a demoralisin' thing to see an engine-room flood up after any accident to the gear demoralisin' and deceptive both.

Rudyard Kipling - The Day's Work - Volume 1