/ · 1894 Brewer’s · R · Rock ahead (A)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A sea-phrase, meaning that a rock is in the path of the ship, which the helmsman must steer clear of; a danger threatens; an opponent; an obstruction.
“That yonker … has been a rock ahead to me all my life.”—Sir W. Scott: Guy Mannering, chap. liv.
· ·
Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.