s with extensive brightwork.]] .]]

On boats, particularly wooden boats, brightwork is exposed metal and varnished woodworking. The metal is often brass that is kept polished. ^[1] Due to the environmental exposure experienced by boats, corrosion and UV damage make maintaining brightwork both Sisyphean and extremely labor-intensive. Varnish is maintained by sanding and re-finishing and metalwork is maintained by polishing.

This menial labor has been a component of maritime life for some time^[when?]. As a result, it is made reference to in culture. For example, in "When I was a Lad" in the H.M.S. Pinafore in which Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty, recounts that he climbed the political ladder in large part by his ability to "polish up the handle of the big front door".

References

1. ^ http://www.yourdictionary.com/brightwork