callmycow.livejournal.comДоктор Тронсон описыввет плавание военного парохода "Барракута" у берегов Камчатки.
To one unaccustomed to a sea life, a storm at sea is anything but pleasant; the mind being excited, exaggerates the dangers : the creaking of timbers, the howling of the wind as it rushes through the rigging, the voice of the commanding officer rising above the gale, the flapping of the shortening sails, all tend to alarm a " griffin ;" whilst below, desks, papers, bottles, and plates fly about in destructive disorder; joints perform erratic courses around the tables ; plates of soup find temporary restingplaces in the laps of those who least expect them ; the chairs with their occupants glide to leeward, and not a single individual proposes singing " A Life on the Ocean Wave."
В целом всё понятно; "desks" примерно понимаю как письменные дощечки. А вот "joints" не понимаю никак. "Суставы" - нелогично, поскольку упоминаются среди предметов посуды.
Что в данном контексте может означать "joints"?