Etymology of Posh

In the days of long voyages by sea to the British Empire in the middle and far east, it was important to avoid the unbearable heat in cabins generated by the sun on the side of the ship. Thus the most sought-after (and expensive) cabins were on the shady side of the vessel (port) on the way out, and the starboard on the way back. Hence Port Out, Starboard Home. Or acronymically, POSH.
 
It is an acronym - from the initial letters of the words forming a new word with an embedded concept.

And I am old enough to have come across that explanation at school in the late 1940s when such voyages by steamship were commonplace at the beginning of the long summer holidays, and boarders returned to Mediterranean or South African parental postings.
 
I hate to be that guy (actually, that may not be true), but there's no evidence to support the etymology of 'posh' coming from the port out... version.

Wikitionary has a discussion (tl;dr is from Romani, as a generic term for rich).
posh - Wiktionary

The OED goes futher, calling it disproved (via BBC: The Oxford English Dictionary and its chief word detective)

Finally, Snopes raises some other compelling evidence (Is the Word 'Posh' a Shortening of 'Port Out, Starboard Home?'), such as no contemporary evidence (e.g. tickets) and the fact that due to the monsoon climate, port out stbd home would be the 'wrong way around' on some voyages.
 
sarabande said:
It is an acronym - from the initial letters of the words forming a new word with an embedded concept.

And I am old enough to have come across that explanation at school in the late 1940s when such voyages by steamship were commonplace at the beginning of the long summer holidays, and boarders returned to Mediterranean or South African parental postings.
Click to expand...
stand corrected....
(well, I am sitting down)

Thanks
 
School in the late 40s - you must be very very old - good on yer! :)

Of course it could be used as a descriptive word for the rich as only the rich could stencil POSH on their cabin trunks.

I'm not sure that many boarders would have transferred to India or Hong Kong by sea during the summer holidays - it would simply take too long - most of the holiday (at sea) would be spent enjoying the benefits of POSH.

However my great, great grandfather, Trouper KDG, and his son would have enjoyed the benefits (if there was any enjoyment to be had) as they came back from India in the mid 1860's under sail but I suspect troupers did not stencil POSH on their cabin trunks and babes in arms would not have noticed....much at all.

Sailing is obviously genetic.

:)

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
School in the late 40s - you must be very very old - good on yer! :)

Of course it could be used as a descriptive word for the rich as only the rich could stencil POSH on their cabin trunks.

I'm not sure that many boarders would have transferred to India or Hong Kong by sea during the summer holidays - it would simply take too long - most of the holiday (at sea) would be spent enjoying the benefits of POSH.

However my great, great grandfather, Trouper KDG, and his son would have enjoyed the benefits (if there was any enjoyment to be had) as they came back from India in the mid 1860's under sail but I suspect troupers did not stencil POSH on their cabin trunks and babes in arms would not have noticed....much at all.

Sailing is obviously genetic.

:)

Jonathan
Click to expand...
Think you may find a few on here that are of the age to be in school in the late 40's.......and a steamship to the Med / Africa was a thing of days not weeks...! Be?
 
My mother was sent home from the Far East as a child, aged maybe five or six. Her older brother later wrote about their experiences - about twenty pages. Here is an exerpt about the beginning of their voyage, which might shock you.
Untitled-2.jpg
 
johnalison said:
My mother was sent home from the Far East as a child, aged maybe five or six. Her older brother later wrote about their experiences - about twenty pages. Here is an exerpt about the beginning of their voyage, which might shock you.
View attachment 132456
Click to expand...
Shock? Why? Us British are known for poor childcare. I was left playing on my own for days on end, on wild beaches and rocks, aged round about 6-7... and look where that lead to.
 
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