D defs.my
Entry 2 senses Webster, 1913

Taut

/tôt/ · IPA /tɔt/
01 a. Tight; stretched; not slack; -- said esp. of a rope that is tightly strained.
  1. 1.
    Tight; stretched; not slack; -- said esp. of a rope that is tightly strained.(Naut.)
  2. 2.
    Snug; close; firm; secure.
Phrases & compounds
Taut hand — a sailor's term for an officer who is severe in discipline.