Military rank used in Francophone navies usually equivalent to the army rank of sergent or the United States Navy rank of petty officer second class; second master
Military rank in the navy senior to second maître de première classe and equal in rank to sergent-major, without exact equivalent in most other Francophone navies; second master extraordinary class
to cut out the dead wood, to clean house (to get rid of personnel that are unproductive, to get rid of the old to make room for the new); to shake things up