Yard
Yard turns up in 2 fields: concrete, maritime. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Yard in concrete
One cubic yard of concrete, 27 cubic feet, the unit used for every US ready-mix order and invoice.
Concrete in the US is ordered, batched and billed by the cubic yard, and crews shorten it to yards, as in 'send me 40 yards'. One yard covers 81 sq ft at 4 in thick or 54 sq ft at 6 in, and a standard truck carries around 10. Experienced estimators add 5 to 10 percent over the calculated volume for subgrade dips, form bulge and spillage.
"Call it 46 yards for the slab plus the thickened edge, and hold the last truck at the plant until I call the cleanup."
Yard in maritime
A horizontal or angled spar suspended from a mast to spread the head of a sail.
A yard is a heavy wooden or metal spar hoisted on a mast to support and spread a sail. On square-rigged vessels, yards are mounted horizontally across the mast and pivot to catch the wind. On fore-and-aft rigs, such as lateen or lug rigs, the yard hangs obliquely. The ends of the yard are called yardarms, and the gear used to control its angle includes braces and lifts.
"Send a hand aloft to clear that fouled block on the topsail yard."