Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 I would like us to build a list of as many old Maritime Sayings as we can come up with. There are so many our language is littered with them. Not surprising, since the U K. was historically and as an island, a Maritime nation. I can start with the first one: but I would welcome some more, perhaps some sayings I am not even familiar with myself.... "He had to run the Gaunlet."........
Ea**** Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) Everyone should join this topic, we need all hands on deck please though, I do hope there are no loose cannons around. We should take this topic on-board and not give it a wide berth. Always remember do not be down in the doldrums. Well, time for me to have a drink, no doubt I shall be three sheets to the wind, so bottoms up everyone. Edited July 7, 2020 by Earbreather poor spelling
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 5 minutes ago, Earbreather said: ...no doubt I shall be three sheets to the wind, so bottoms up everyone. So I would like everyone to help me build a list. There are some I do not know myself. So please folks......all sails to the wind.... !
Sp**** Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey” A brass monkey was the rack that held the cannonballs on a ship and when it got very cold they would contract and the cannonballs would fall off!!
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 45 minutes ago, Spanksy said: “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey” A brass monkey was the rack that held the cannonballs on a ship and when it got very cold they would contract and the cannonballs would fall off!! Thank you for the explanation I had come across the saying before, but I never knew what it meant. So kudos to you!
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 Hardly enough room to swing a cat...not a feline, but a cat o' ninetails flogger for punishment. Keel hauled. A sailor was tied to a rope that went underneath the ship from one side to the other, and was dragged beneath it.
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 " Batten down the hatches"; "Be left high & dry"; "Scraping the barrel"; "Through thick & thin"; " "Hand over fist"; "Learn the ropes"; and also "Hunky dory" - apparently that's what American soldiers referred to the street in Yokohama called Honchai-dori where they found their onshore entertainment
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 17 minutes ago, Fenrir said: " Batten down the hatches"; "Be left high & dry"; "Scraping the barrel"; "Through thick & thin"; " "Hand over fist"; "Learn the ropes"; and also "Hunky dory" - apparently that's what American soldiers referred to the street in Yokohama called Honchai-dori where they found their onshore entertainment A lot of sayings here that are new to me. And also..."That took the wind out of his sails...."
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) 27 minutes ago, Leatherfox2010 said: Hardly enough room to swing a cat...not a feline, but a cat o' ninetails flogger for punishment. Keel hauled. A sailor was tied to a rope that went underneath the ship from one side to the other, and was dragged beneath it. Another old Naval Punishment was. " He shall run the Gauntlet" But I think I included that above. Lol Edited July 7, 2020 by TammyNatalia Misspelling
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 Thought of a couple more: "To show ones true colours" - taken from the practice of when ships sailed to battle they would often sail under false flags to confuse their enemy, & then hoist their actual country's flag as they attacked. We also get the term "Bamboozle" from the Spanish for doing this. "Between the devil & the deep blue sea" - the planks of wood used to make ships were sealed together using hot tar. The "devil" spoken of here was in reference to the longest of these sealing seams, the one that was most prone to leak. Also "To knock seven bells out of..." - a bell would be rung an increasing number of times at intervals during each crews watch. A crew change would occur at 8 bells, so to knock 7 bells out of someone or something meant to beat it so severely it would be almost finished off.
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 31 minutes ago, Fenrir said: Thought of a couple more: "To show ones true colours" - "Between the devil & the deep blue sea" Also "To knock seven bells out of..." It's interesting to read and find out how some of these meanings originated. Another, more obvious one is..."So they showed him the ropes." 'Running the Gauntlet' was an old punishment whereby the offender would be made to walk (or run) in between two rows of his fellow crewmen, each holding a whip. And as he passed between them, they would each take a turn at flogging him until he reached the end. Nowadays of course, if you 'run the gauntlet,' it can refer to many things.
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 1 hour ago, TammyNatalia said: It's interesting to read and find out how some of these meanings originated. Another, more obvious one is..."So they showed him the ropes." 'Running the Gauntlet' was an old punishment whereby the offender would be made to walk (or run) in between two rows of his fellow crewmen, each holding a whip. And as he passed between them, they would each take a turn at flogging him until he reached the end. Nowadays of course, if you 'run the gauntlet,' it can refer to many things. It really is fascinating to discover the origins of our day to day sayings now. Not just maritime or nautical ones, but all sorts of different, everyday ones. It was a hobby of mine for a while a few years ago. Also interesting to see how with some of them the meanings & applications have completely changed over the years. For example, the phrase "*** is thicker than water" has been shortened & now is used to mean the exact opposite of what it originally meant at its inception.
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 I am sure there are others we haven't thought of. Our language is so rich in Maritime sayings. The saying, "At least he had a square meal," may refer back to some sailors having eaten off square plates on some ships, or that they ate on square tables. Nowadays it simply refers to someone having had a heart meal. Another more obvious saying is, 'He took the helm,' which I think means nowadays, he led the way.
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 6 hours ago, Spanksy said: “It’s cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey” A brass monkey was the rack that held the cannonballs on a ship and when it got very cold they would contract and the cannonballs would fall off!! I will never forget you explaining what "As happy as a sandboy" meant 😱
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 16 minutes ago, MuffSparkle said: I will never forget you explaining what "As happy as a sandboy" meant 😱 I don't know what that means myself, and I am not sure I have seen it posted by.....! Lol
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 4 minutes ago, TammyNatalia said: I don't know what that means myself, and I am not sure I have seen it posted by.....! Lol Im sure Spanksy will tell you, I would but I will likely miss bits out 🤣
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 1 minute ago, MuffSparkle said: Im sure Spanksy will tell you, I would but I will likely miss bits out 🤣 Alright! Lol
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 The bitter end...a bitt is a post fastened a bitt is a post fastened in the deck of a ship, for fastening cables and ropes. When a rope is played out to the bitter end, it means there is no more rope to be used.
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 There is another saying, but I am not sure if this comes from Maritime history. It is....."We should count our lucky stars," meaning, we ought to be grateful that things aren't worse than they are.!
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 By and large, meaning that sailing ships could sail downwind with wind behind them, (large), using the the square sails, and they could sail towards the wind (by), by using triangular sails and clever rudder positioning.
Deleted Member Posted July 7, 2020 Posted July 7, 2020 Dead in the water...a sailing ship was motionless due to lack of wind.
Ta**** Posted July 7, 2020 Author Posted July 7, 2020 6 minutes ago, Leatherfox2010 said: Dead in the water...a sailing ship was motionless due to lack of wind. These are all common every day sayings that I had no idea come from our Maritime heritage, so amazing, .....thanks.
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