On Sat, 2 Jan 2010 08:16:41 -0800 (PST), "jim.isbell"
wrote:

On Jan 1, 6:34*pm, Bruce In Bangkok wrote:
On Fri, 1 Jan 2010 08:27:38 -0800 (PST), "jim.isbell"

wrote:
On Dec 31 2009, 11:02*am, Every time wrote:
Gingerbread! I knew it was something along those lines!

Thanks!

No, that is not it.

Its called the Taffrail.

Look in wikipedia for a picture of a "taffrail."

The term comes from the Dutch word for an ornately decorated stern of
a ship

That is the "newer" definition. It comes from the original Dutch
which SPECIFICALLY refers to an ornately decorated stern rail.
Wikipedia shows a picture of the stern of such a ship in their
definition. Later it came to refer to ONLY the upper rail. But the
original poster wanted to know the term to refer to the ornately
decorated stern. Taffrail IS that term. Gingerbread is a landlubber
term for the decorations under the eves of the house often seen at the
peak of the roof. It does not refer to a boat.

First you state that taffrail comes from the Dutch word for an ornate
stern of a ship and then you state that it comes from the word that
specifically refers to an ornately decorated stern rail.

I don't think you can have it both ways. Either the term applies to a
stern or a rail.

The closest word in Dutch might be "tafel" - which means table.
Gebeeldhouwd means carved and a carved railing would be gebeeldhouwd
hekwerk.

Cheers,

Bruce
(bruceinbangkokatgmaildotcom)