Grap″pling (?), n. 1. A laying fast ho1d of; also, that by which anything is seized and held, a grapnel.
2. A grapple; a struggle. A match for yards in fight, in grappling for the bear. Dryden.
Grappling iron, a hooked iron used for grappling and holding fast a vessel or other object. — Grappling tongs, broad-mouthed tongs for gathering oysters.