hardtack

[hahrd-tak]

noun

1. a hard, hard, saltless biscuit, formerly much used aboard ships and for army rations.

hardtack

/ ˈhɑːdˌtæk /

noun

1. Also called: pilot biscuit.  ship's biscuit.  sea biscuit. a kind of hard saltless biscuit, formerly eaten esp by sailors as a staple aboard ship

Word History and Origins

Origin of hardtack¹

First recorded in 1830–40; hard + tack ²

Example Sentences

“I never carry idlers on my ship! Between ports, a clerk isn’t worth the hardtack to keep him alive.”

From Literature

We lunched on the small amount of smoked fish and seaman’s hardtack we had bought at a souvenir shop and drank water.

From Washington Post

Wartime museums display the bland hardtack that sustained Civil War fighters, and the canned meats, breads and fruit of World War II, known as C rations.

From New York Times

European sailors relied on an early form of biscuit called hardtack on the journey to North America.

From Salon

In one particularly poignant scene, Joseph decides to make a sculpture out of hardtack biscuits.

From Washington Post

Related Words

• biscuit 
• cookie 
• pretzel