Scuttlebutt?

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Pandion

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Curiosity kills me... as a non-native english speeker I have no clue what "Scuttlebutt" actually means. As a participant here for two years or so I can no longer hide my ignorance...

Can some of you pint drinking folks over there enlighten me?

It took me more than a year of reading english sailing magazines before I realised what DIY meant too... But I am damned good in Norwegian! :-)

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Have you no sense of maritime history?

Scuttle = an opening in a ship's topsides or deck
Butt = a small barrel

Hence, Scuttlebutt = a small barrel of fresh water placed near the scuttle by the ships galley, from which the on deck crew could refresh itself.

And by usage, the idle chatter which was exchanged by the crew whilst gathered around the scuttlebutt.

The modern equivalent is the water-cooler rumour.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.writeforweb.com/twister1>Let's Twist Again</A>
 
Re: Have you no sense of maritime history?

What a font of useless information you are Ken. You have really enhanced my education.

Do you know anything useful?

Martin

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Re: Have you no sense of maritime history?

As an aside, I understand that scuttlebutt is still in common usage in the US Navy as slang for rumour.

In the Royal Navy the word used instead is buzz, as in "Have you heard the buzz about..."

<hr width=100% size=1>At the end of the day - Sunset.
 
Re: Have you no sense of maritime history?

Well - ask him about measuring the height of buildings by the length of shadow they cast - then you may truly know the mark of the man!

<hr width=100% size=1>regards
Claymore
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Re: Have you no sense of maritime history?

When my Dad was a merchant sailor, during the 40's and 50's it was 'galley wireless'.

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Re: Tall buildings

theorem, the square of the hypoteneuse is equalt to the sum of the squares on the other two sides, one of the 2 things i remember from school 45 years ago the other was pi r squared times h is the volume of a vessel, used to use it to calculate how long a pig would take to clean a pipeline.
stu


<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk>http://www.beneteau-owners-association.org.uk</A>
 
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