NAUTICAL SAYINGS
The sea has contributed countless words, expressions and concepts to mainstream
English. We seldom reflect upon their oceangoing origin when we use such expressions
as: all in the same boat, blow over, crabby, don't give up the ship, down the hatch, getting
the drift, happy as a clam, keel over, like a fish out of water, making headway, navy blue,
small fry, the coast is clear, go off the deep end, take the wind out of his sails, or wide
berth. Other expressions with less obvious nautical roots include:
Groggy comes from "grog," the name sailors in the British Royal Navy disdainfully used
for their daily ration of a half-pint of rum, after it was decreed in 1740 that the rum
should be diluted with an equal amount of water. The unpopular order was issued by Vice
Admiral Sir Edward Vernon, nicknamed "Old Grog" because of the impressive grogam
cloak he wore on deck.
Horse Latitudes refer to the regions of calm found at latitudes 30 degrees N. to 30
degrees S. It is said that sailing ships carrying horses to America, when becalmed in these
latitudes, had to throw horses overboard in order to lighten their vessels and take
advantage of any gentle breezes that might blow their way.
Overwhelm comes from the Middle English word meaning "to capsize."
Pooped out originally described the condition of seamen caught on the poop or aft deck
after a wave from heavy seas crashed down upon it.
Rummage sale stems from the French word arrimage, meaning "the loading of a cargo
ship." Damaged cargo was occasionally sold at special warehouse sales.
Skyscraper traditionally referred to the topsail of a ship and only more recently has come
to mean a tall building.
Slush funds were once the personal funds of ship cooks, who earned them by skimming
off the fat, or "slush," from cooking and selling it when the ship came into port.
Stranded vessels were ones that had drifted or run aground on a strand or beach.
Legends and Customs of the Sea
Scottish law once required fishermen to wear a gold earring, which was used to pay for
funeral expenses if they were drowned and washed ashore.
An old custom dictates that any sailor who sails around Cape Horn is entitled to a small
blue tattoo in the shape of a five-pointed star on his left ear. Five times around earns a
star on the right ear as well, and two red marks on the forehead is the sign of a great
voyager who has rounded the Cape ten times or more. According to one sailor, who
sports a star on his left ear: there are only two red-star men in the world. Both live in
Liverpool, where no pub would charge a red-star man for a drink.
Wine poured upon the deck before a long voyage represents a libation to the gods which
will bring good luck. "Christening" a ship by breaking a bottle of champagne across her
bow at the time of launching arose from this practice.
It was in the early days of the British Navy that guns were first fired in salute. Since they
could not be reloaded quickly, the act of firing a gun in salute assured those receiving the
salute that those who fired had disarmed themselves, and could do no harm. The more
guns that were fired, the greater the assurance of disarmament, and the higher the respect
offered to those being saluted. The largest ships of the fleet held twenty-one guns along
one side, therefore the highest mark of respect was a twenty-one-gun salute.
"What the sea wants, the sea will have," according to the traditional wisdom of the
British Isles and many maritime cultures. Thus fatalistic sailors of the past--and some of
the present--never learned to swim.
Legend has it that an umbrella aboard ship is unlucky.