Because the ship's principle ports (ie, entrances) were on the left side, whereas the steering oar was on the right side, hence port and steer board, Ships would alway moor port-side-to so that the steering oar wouldn't be damaged against dock and quaysides. Hence ports (holes in the ship, whether left or right) came before port (left side).
and hence 'POSH'....... Port Out Starboard Home..... long after the need to berth port side too was gone, all the ports were still built so that the view of old blighty was on the port side on the way out and on the starboard side on the way home.... and hence the location of the best cabins....
Hang on. I'm not following that at all. I thought port out starboard home related to the sunny side of the ship when crossing the Atlantic on a liner. Port side faces South when travelling West etc. If you are looking at Blighty when travelling West (out) along the Channel for example, you'd be facing North on the starboard side. Am I missing something there (which would not be unusual)?
JackFrobisher comment - Correct basis but wrong destination. POSH referred to the East Indian run and Port out s/board home was a cooler shady-side cabin
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Because the ship's principle ports (ie, entrances) were on the left side, whereas the steering oar was on the right side, hence port and steer board, Ships would alway moor port-side-to so that the steering oar wouldn't be damaged against dock and quaysides. Hence ports (holes in the ship, whether left or right) came before port (left side).
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I was told by a wise old man that the port side was originally called the larboard (from ladeboard or loading side) but they changed it 'cos sailors on the old sailing vessels, during a storm, couldn't hear the instruction on which way to set the sail or steer - larboard or starboard.
The other way round. The word POSH was coined for travellers to India, who wanted to be on the cooler, north facing side of the ship. Pre air conditioning it must have been pretty unpleasant to have a cabin in an iron ship, on the side the sun shone on when crossing the Indian Ocean.
Although I have always known this definition it confuses me as to where it would originate from.
If you left from the south coast i.e Southampton then sail to New York then the land / south coast would be on the starboard side apart from the small trip down Southampton Water or is that what it refers to
It actually came into common usage when Victoria couldn't think of a title for herself when the other Spice Girls were all Sporty and Ginger and stuff.
They suggested it to her and it stands for "Putrid Old Shit Head"