Waist clothes, also called armings or fights, were colored clothes or sheets, usually red, that were hung around the outside of a
ship
A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...
's upper works, fore and aft, and before the
cubbridge heads. They were used as an adornment during ceremonious occasions, and served as a visual screen during times of action, to protect the men aboard. They were sometimes also hung around the tops, in which case they were called top armings.
References
*{{1728, title=Waist clothes}
*Webster's 1828 Dictionary
*Mainwaring. ''The Seaman's Dictionary''. (c. 1644)
Nautical terminology