Bristol Fashion

[BirvidikBob]

In an act of unbridled optimism, I’m working on the third book in the Utterly Useless Guide to Mediterranean Sailing series. One of the digressions is on the disproportionately large influence of nautical terminology on modern English idioms. There are many of these in modern English, mostly in metaphors. With only the most cursory of investigations I turned up over a couple of hundred. Most people use them freely without knowing their origins.

I’m whittling this down by applying some strict criteria. After excluding those that are blindingly obvious, such as ‘Jumping Ship’, and those of dubious etymology, such as ‘The whole nine yards’, and those that are rarely used now, outside of nautical circles, such as ‘Scuttlebutt’ (!), I’m down to around 50. From those I want to select a shortlist of those that are:

• In common use.
• Interesting and/or amusing.
• Generally unrecognised as having nautical origins.

My draft list may well be extensive, but I’m bound to have missed many more. Any favourite examples? Especially ones that people use without recognising the nautical origin. Contributors will get a credit in the book.

There’s no end to my generosity, is there.

 

[pvb]

Can I contribute these please?

36 nautical idioms to get you shipshape and Bristol fashion

50 Nautical Terms and Sailing Phrases That Have Enriched Our Language

 

[capnsensible]

Spar lash.

 

[Stemar]

Balls up

 

[BirvidikBob]

Balls up as in "I am aground"?

Feasible, but it could equally feasibly be a partial bowdlerisation of "f**k up" and associated phrases.

 

[wombat88]

Are you ready for the third half?

 

[Rappey]

Some years back Haslar marina had some fun facts (?) and two that I remember were-
3 sheets to the wind , originating from Gosport high street in the days when every other building was a pub to service all the sailors.
The other was "up sh*t creek without a paddle" , supposedly from the napoleonic wars when haslar had many prisoners and the only way of escape was through the sewers and into haslar creek.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Three sheets in the wind?

The devil to pay (and no tar hot)? - usually abbreviated to the first bit, but the second half is explanatory.

Taking a caulk?

And, of course, many greetings like "Fair winds".

 

[burgundyben]

I think the whole 9 yards refers to a 27ft long ammunition belt in the wing of a Spitfire?

 

[HissyFit]

My personal favourite: "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." Someone more clued up may debunk this, but this was taught to me as being related to the different rates of thermal contraction between iron cannon balls and their brass holders (known as monkeys) resulting in the balls becoming dislodged in freezing weather. I don't know why the carriers needed to be brass, nor why the locations weren't just cut so the balls were more secure, so I've always been a little sceptical about this.

 

[newtothis]

I think the whole 9 yards refers to a 27ft long ammunition belt in the wing of a Spitfire?

Despite first bring used in print in 1907, somewhat before the invention of the spitfire.

 

[newtothis]

My personal favourite: "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." Someone more clued up may debunk this, but this was taught to me as being related to the different rates of thermal contraction between iron cannon balls and their brass holders (known as monkeys) resulting in the balls becoming dislodged in freezing weather. I don't know why the carriers needed to be brass, nor why the locations weren't just cut so the balls were more secure, so I've always been a little sceptical about this.

Highly debunked if you follow the links posted by pvb above.

 

[penfold]

Is 'Jumping ship' obvious to anyone without knowledge of pressgangs etc?

 

[LONG_KEELER]

"Touch and go" Term used by Thames Bargeman to work it's way up to a Barge Quay in a
rising tide.

 

[HissyFit]

Highly debunked if you follow the links posted by pvb above.

I shouldn't skip bits. Thanks.

 

[Stemar]

I don't know why the carriers needed to be brass

My guess would be that using iron to plonk other lumps of iron on risks a spark, which is a bad idea when you've got loose black powder floating around. Possibly also because brass doesn't rust

 

[cherod]

My personal favourite: "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey." Someone more clued up may debunk this, but this was taught to me as being related to the different rates of thermal contraction between iron cannon balls and their brass holders (known as monkeys) resulting in the balls becoming dislodged in freezing weather. I don't know why the carriers needed to be brass, nor why the locations weren't just cut so the balls were more secure, so I've always been a little sceptical about this.

i believe that is true

 

[DJE]

i believe that is true

It's hard to think of an alternative explanation.

 

[DJE]

I've often wondered about the connection between "keep your spirits up" and "up spirits" as associated with the rum ration. No idea which came first.