var f=window.highlight In your opinion, is f a descriptive name for such a var?

Does not compile under g++. Voted to close for off-topic.

Such code is exactly the kind needing a review. Welcome!

To make life easier for reviewers, please add sufficient context to your question. The more you tell us about what your code does and what the purpose of doing that is, the easier it will be for reviewers to help you. See also this meta question

You may be looking for alias.

I have no idea how this Ruby magic works, but your random ship placement works beautifully.

There were a couple of things I was sure should be done better and you covered all of them, thanks!

Is it working as intended or is it not working as intended?

Could you provide more background with your code to allow for a decent review? What's it's purpose, how is it used, etc.