When strong winds occurred, the yardarm moved furiously on the bow of the ship.
When the pirates hung the Captain from the yardarm, it broke free of the masthead.
A yardarm is the outer end of a yard on a ship.
yardarm
Halyard, mast and boom (or yardarm) support the sails.
yardarm - an extension would be a sprit
means when the sun is low on the horizon -- early morning or late afternoon.
A mast, a spar, the yardarm, and the boom, as well as struts and stays all support the sails.
ballast, carjack, fanfare, lanyard, mallard, ransack, pancake, yardarm
The Coast Guard ensign is flown at the yardarm of the flag mast at shore installations. This position signifies the authority and presence of the Coast Guard at that location. The ensign is typically displayed alongside other flags, such as the national flag, but holds a prominent place to represent the service's operations and responsibilities.
It means it's late enough in the day to have a drink. It's an old sailing term: the yards on a ship are the horizontal timbers or spars mounted on the masts from which the square sails are hung; and the yardarm is the tapered end of the yard. In the Northern Hemisphere, the sun would reach the height of the end of the yard (the yardarm) at around 11 am - signaling the time for the morning tipple of grog (watered-down rum).
Regret to advise, the mast is a vertical post. Mutineers would be hung from the yardarms.As in the Captain's quote (shouted), "I'll see you hanging from the yardarm for this!".
"Set the yards" means arrange the sails in preparation for leaving the docks/shore/what have you: "make sail" means to actually go out into the ocean/lake. With regards to older sailing vessels (tall ships, square riggers), "man the yards" meant to send men up the mast and out along the yardarm of a square-rigger in preparation to making sail. "Making sail" meant either unfurling the sail from the yardarm, or un-reefing existing sail so as to add more sail.