Bits

Bits, or Bitts, a frame composed of two strong upright pieces of timber with cross braces fixed in the fore part of a ship's deck, and to which the cables are fastened when the vessel rides at anchor. In modern ships and especially in ships of considerable size, the bits are of iron. Smaller bits, constructed in nearly the same manner, are used for fastening topsail-sheets, etc., on deck and stand at the foot of the masts.