Query about correct spelling of ....

[Plomong]

some nautical terms and expressions.

Which of the following are more correct:
a-trip or atrip
a-lee or alee
a-peak or apeak
a-hull or ahull
a-taunt-o or a-taunt-oh or ataunt-o/oh

gybe-oh or gybe-ho or gybe-o
lee-oh or lee-ho or lee-o

I am highly surprised by the differences between variants indicated as correct by the Oxford dictionaries (with wide differences between editions), Websters, Cambridge, etc.

Anyone have any authoritative view, reference or criterion??

I won't indicate my criterion so as not to bias the discussion.

Plomong

 

[LittleSister]

I suspect there's no 'authoritative' definition of the spelling, as these are all written versions of words and phrases formerly used almost entirely verbally, mostly by people who couldn't write anyway.

 

[Alfie168]

This lot might know

http://www.leeohlaw.com/

Tim......

 

[VO5]

THere is also a neat little exclusively nautical dictionary entitled "A Dictionary of Sea Terms" by J Anstead, published by Brown Son and Ferguson of Glasgow you might like to consult. My copy was 21/- net. I suppose nowadays much more. Worth having. Blue dust jacket. Full of illustrations for sailing buffs, whalers,sloops, ketches, yawls, brigantines, windjammers, etc., no motorboat stuff.

 

[Ubergeekian]

THere is also a neat little exclusively nautical dictionary entitled "A Dictionary of Sea Terms" by J Anstead, published by Brown Son and Ferguson of Glasgow you might like to consult. My copy was 21/- net. I suppose nowadays much more. Worth having. Blue dust jacket. Full of illustrations for sailing buffs, whalers,sloops, ketches, yawls, brigantines, windjammers, etc., no motorboat stuff.

It's available from Brown, Son and Ferguson as "A Dictionary of Old Sea Terms". They generally seem to keep the prices they had at original publication ("How to Build and Manage a Canoe" is a steal at four quid) but alas this one is a revised edition from 2000 and now costs £25 plus postage. If you can wait fifty years it'll probably still be £25 plus postage ...

 

[BobPrell]

some nautical terms and expressions.

I am highly surprised by the differences between variants indicated as correct by the Oxford dictionaries (with wide differences between editions), Websters, Cambridge, etc.

Anyone have any authoritative view, reference or criterion??

These sources are authoritative.

Authorities on the english language are descriptive, not prescriptive.

You can use whatever version you like, the only self-imposed requirement is that you want other peeps to understand it.

Personally I prefer a-lee to alee, I think a-lee is more readable and suggests the pronunciation. However the use of hyphens generally is probably thought archaic now-a-days. nowadays.

 

[Seajet]

Top Tip;

don't christen your son 'Leo'.

 

[chinita]

It's available from Brown, Son and Ferguson as "A Dictionary of Old Sea Terms". They generally seem to keep the prices they had at original publication ("How to Build and Manage a Canoe" is a steal at four quid) but alas this one is a revised edition from 2000 and now costs £25 plus postage. If you can wait fifty years it'll probably still be £25 plus postage ...

A bargain. Look at this:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&tn=a+dictionary+of+old+sea+terms&x=36&y=13

 

[Plomong]

THere is also a neat little exclusively nautical dictionary entitled "A Dictionary of Sea Terms" by J Anstead, published by Brown Son and Ferguson of Glasgow you might like to consult. My copy was 21/- net. I suppose nowadays much more. Worth having. Blue dust jacket. Full of illustrations for sailing buffs, whalers,sloops, ketches, yawls, brigantines, windjammers, etc., no motorboat stuff.

Thanks for the reference -- looks like it could be a useful "Christmas present" suggestion -- will put it on ,y list.

Plomong

 

[Bru]

Top Tip;

don't christen your son 'Leo'.

Thanks for that, I nearly choked on my coffee! Now I'm gonna have to put a clean shirt on tomorrow too

 

[Plomong]

You can use whatever version you like, ....

.... the use of hyphens generally is probably thought archaic now-a-days. nowadays.

Yes, I think you're right. Digging deeper into the question of hyphenation in general and looking at current usage patterns online, it is probably true that nowadays we tend to use the hyphen less than ever. So I'll go with that version, at least with the "a-trip" etc. terms.

I'm surprised, however, that no one has commented on the gybe-oh / gybe-ho question ?? Are both variants correct, or is one of them plainly wrong, or maybe a distortion, or (heaven forbid) an americanism ???

Plomong