I know that in the James Bond film of that name, it was the name of the space shuttle. However, the word must have existed prior to the movie. The theme song says: “Just like the Moonraker knows all his dreams will come true someday…”
I looked up the word on Dictionary.com, but it said that it was some sort of sail…doesn’t make sense in context. Can anyone find me the exact meaning and origin of this word/phrase?
Chaim, one I can answer: “Moonraker” indeed refers to a sail. In the days of the clipper ships, the tallest mast was the center mast-known as the “mizzen” mast. Usually, ships had 4 or 5 sails (square-rigged) hung on this mast. Wery rarely, ships were fitted with mizzen masts that would accomodate a 6th sail-this was called the “moonraker”, since it was so high that it would rake the moon.
Only a handful of ships ever had a 6th sail on the mizzen mast-working that high above the deck must have scared many an old-time sailor!
Then how does that make sense in the context of the song line I quoted above?
Chaim Mattis Keller
[kneejerk reaction]
I don’t expect Bond movies themselves to make sense; are you seriously expecting the theme song to a Bond movie to make sense?
[/kneejerk]
:d&r:
:slinking back for a WAG:
Maybe the guy who set the sail can be referred to as a Moonraker. (Bond, being a Navy Commander and top spy…)
I thought it was a term for 19th century smugglers; rum runners or such, running about the ocean by moonlight.
To be fair, the name Moonraker was chosen by Ian Fleming, and he was pretty good with words. In the book, the Moonraker was a new design of rocket, bigger than most that England had, and more efficient. I always thought the term meant that the rocket was powerful enough that it could graze the moon…
The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary gives the following definitions
Just to further muddy the waters, Webster’s Third New International Dictionary gives the primary definition of moonraker as “chiefly Brit : a stupid fellow : SIMPLETON”; their second definition is “MOONSAIL” (i.e., “a light square sail set above a skysail and carried by some clipper ships in light winds”).
Definitely an odd name for a spaceship.
Towards the bottom of the page, see “Moonrakers”.
To further muddy the waters, JE Lighter, American Slang says a moonsail or moonraker was an imaginary sail, quoting thusly 1805, She had royals set; sky-scrapers, moon-rakers, and a cursed god above all.. I could give later quotes, but at least this one dates an early use of the term.
All though there are a few definitions, bibliophage’s of pursusing idle thoughts seems the best fit for the song. After all the space station was the dream of a man for an eutopia of his own.
One quibble.
The mizzenmast is the aft-most mast on a three-masted ship. By extension, it is also the smaller mast on a yawl or ketch. The highest/tallest mast is the mainmast.
A moonraker was Quote “a foolish person,whom upon seeing the reflection of the moon in the water,believed it to be cheese”. Unquote…west country English folklore…In the mid 18th century,contraband (port,rum)was smuggled by ship into the estuaries of the rivers and sunk…Later to be retrieved by the moonrakers when the “coast was clear”…One was caught and the judge laughed at his explaination about the moons reflection and didn’t hang him…That I can assure you,is the true legend of a Moonraker and why i have the name 
Clearly, sky-scraper and moon-raker are pretty much the same word. No one bats an eye that we name large buildings after an upper sail. Moon-raker seems to be an equally poetic and appropriate name for a spacecraft.
Clicking the link we find at you your link reveals rather more (and, indeed, vindicates Moon Raker’s post, too).
In short, moonrakers were smugglers. I think this connection with crime (of a romantic sort) helps to make sense of why of why Flemming chose the title, and the cover story that the smugglers told, about being foolishly trying to retrieve the moon/cheese from the sand, perhaps helps to make some sense of the song’s reference to “dreams”.
Unfortunately, moonrakers generally found themselves trawling up animated corpses thirteen years dead, rather than ripe cheese.
Ha ha - Moonraker must have googled his name.
That makes the most sense of anything in this thread, but have you any links we can follow to further research it?
Quite a good analysis on wikipedia;
Actually Bob,I’ve had the nickname since a young boy…I’m 60 now…Used to love night fishing and missed many morning school lessons or fell asleep during them,until I was caught on a “private” stretch of river by the bailiff with a net full of contraband…the judge called me a moonraker and it stuck…it was my call sign as a transporter and all my friends call me Moonie to this day…I’m now a retiring world travelled live Singer/muso with the same stage name…the judge recited the folklore to me during his summing up and my parents explained it’s meaning and why I wasn’t hanged 