A

Aback (To be taken)... To be given a shock so great that a person is staggered. To stop a sailing ship by positioning the sails so their surfaces are pressed against the mast causing the ship to slow rapidly.

About (To go)... To turn round and go in the opposite direction. To go on another tack.

Above board... Anything on or above the top deck, in plain view. A common phrase for honest and open dealing.

All-A-Taught... Everything as it should. That is a ship fully rigged and everything in its place.

All at sea... Bewildered; unable to understand. Originally a nautical expression to describe the condition of a ship out of sight of land and having lost its bearings.

All Hands (Paws) on Deck... Everyone needed on deck, usually during a storm or other dangerous situation.

Allow Leeway... To allow room downwind to guide a ship into harbour.

Albatross round one's neck... Encumbering, inescapable liability. In Coleridge's the Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) the mariner tells of an occasion when his ship became ice-bound and was visited by an albatross, greeted as a bird of good omen. The ship was freed from the ice but for some unknown reason the mariner shot the albatross. A curse fell on the ship, the dead albatross was hung round his neck as punishment and the rest of the crew died. While watching beautiful water snakes around the ship the mariner found himself blessing them; the albatross fell from his neck, the ship was no longer becalmed and his life was saved. He must wander the earth telling his tale and teaching reverence for God's creation, 'All things both great and small'. In the metaphorical expression to which this story has given rise the albatross is, strictly speaking, a symbol of personal guilt from which freedom has to be earned. In practice it is used of any oppressive influence that is difficult to escape from.

Any port in a storm... Like most nautical sayings, it's based on the simple truth that when we have problems, any and all help is welcome.

At a loose end... Unoccupied. The phrase was originally 'at loose ends', a nautical term for the condition of a rope when unattached and therefore neglected or not doing its job. When one ties up the loose ends one settles the final details of a matter as a sailor makes the loose ends of ropes shipshape.

Avast... Stop! To hold fast or stop heaving.

Awash... Very wet indeed! Level with the surface of the water.

B

Back and Fill... To stay where you are on a point. To work the sails so as to alternatively fill and empty them of wind.

Balla Up (complete)... Large brightly coloured wooden balls were used as warning signals by sailing vessels to communicate a hazardous situation to other vessels. They were hoisted up in the rigging where they could be clearly observed. When a ship is at sea and not under command, sailors say ‘that’s a Balls Up’ meaning they would need to hoist two black balls to warn other vessels. If a vessel runs aground, by day, they are required to display three black balls and this is be referred to by the sailors as a complete or total ‘Balls Up’.

Batten down the hatches... The hatches of a ship were covered with tarpaulin which was held in place with battens. Carried out before a storm.

Bear Down... to sail fast, usually toward an enemy.

Berth - to give (someone or something) a wide berth... The berth is a ship’s place of anchoring or mooring. Ships swing on their moorings with the changes of the tides and winds and thus need to be kept far enough apart to prevent them hitting one another.

Between the devil and the deep (blue) sea... Between two equally difficult alternatives. Here the devil is nautical slang for a seam between planks that was difficult to caulk, i.e. make watertight by hammering oakum (fibres of rope) into the gap and then adding tar. The word was particularly used for the long seam of the first plank on the outer hull next to the keel, and for the seam along the edge of the deck where only the thickness of the hull was between this devil and the sea. No doubt awkward and difficult seams were given this name because they were 'the devil' to get at. The whole phrase therefore meant, literally, a physical position between two unpleasant things and, metaphorically, a dilemma.

Bilge... Worthless remarks or ideas. The bilge of a ship is the lowest internal part of the hull, where water used to collect and gradually became stale or foul until its periodical removal. This bilge-water, also known as bilge, became synonymous with rubbish and thus with nonsense. Bilge is also the largest part of a cask.

(a) Biscuit toss away... Similar to "a stones throw away". In other words not very far away at all.  Unlike ship's biscuits stones were uncommon on navy ships.

Blown the gaff... To cause trouble for someone by letting other people know something that they were trying to keep secret. The gaff is a spar that extends the top of the fore-and-aft sail not set on stays, or carrying an ensign. usually on the mizzen mast. Origin of this saying is unsure and is not likely to be nautical.

Brace of Shakes... The time taken for a sail to shake or shiver twice as a ship comes into the wind. An expression indicating a smart movement.

Broad in the beam... Refers to a ship which is particularly wide, and is now put to unflattering use to describe a woman with ample hips.

Brought by the Lee... Someone brought by the Lee is someone who has suddenly become confounded. When running and the wind changes to the opposite quarter.

Brought up Short. Or Brought up All Standing... an abrupt stop, requiring use of the anchor.

Bunged up and bilge free... Technically the proper way to store rum casks, but also used to describe anyone lying asleep during a make and mend.

Buoyed up... using a buoy to raise the bight (the part of a rope, cable or chain between the ends) of an anchor chain to prevent it from abrasion on the seabed.

By and large... Generally speaking. Originally nautical jargon from the days of sailing ships. To steer a course 'by and large' was to keep slightly off the line of the wind when steering into it so that there was less need for constant adjustment to slight changes in its direction and less chance of being taken aback. In general terms the expression implied freedom from special alertness and exactitude, and this is its sense in modern use.

C

Calm before the storm... Although not exclusively nautical, this was and has been attributed to seagoing folk as a result of their constant and intimate interaction with the weather.

Chock-a-block... Crammed full. Chock-a-block was a nautical term for a position when two blocks of a tackle came together so that no further movement was possible.

Clap on... To grab hold of something. An order to get hold of a rope or purchase for the purpose of hauling on it.

Clean sweep (fore and aft)... To remove all unneccessary obstacles from the deck(s) of a war ship in preperation for battle. During the time of sail this included bulkheads such as that which divided the captin's cabin from the rest of the gundeck.

Clear the decks (for action)... As above entry.

Cold enough to freeze the balls of a brass monkey... Origin is apparently early nineteenth century Royal Navy. The 'balls' were cannon balls, the 'brass monkey' was the rectangular brass holder in which the cannon balls were piled up, pyramid shape. They froze off because of ice forming between the balls. ( I have yet to verify this. I have never found any evidence that brass monkeys existed in the  Royal Navy, or in fact, anywhere else. Shot was held in “shot garlands” and they were made of wood.)

Come hell or high water... Simply stated, the person speaking will do whatever it takes, and overcome any obstacle,  to accomplish a goal or arrive at a destination.

Copper-bottomed... Secure, to be trusted. Usually applied to a guarantee, assurance, etc. Below the waterline the hulls of wooden ships used to suffer grievously from the attacks of wood-boring molluscs. After unsuccessful experiments with lead it was found that sheathing the hull with sheets of copper prevented these attacks and the build-up of weeds and barnacles. The fixing of copper bottoms began in 1761 and later became general practice.

Cracking on... To go as fast as you can. To have a lot of sail set.

Cut and run... Hurry off abruptly. An old nautical expression. In an emergency it was sometimes necessary to cut the anchor cable, instead of going through the time-consuming business of wincing up the anchor, in order to get away quickly ('run' before the wind, at full sail). The Armada was said to have done this off Calais on the approach of English fireships.

D

Davy Jones's locker... The name Davy Jones dates back to at least 1751. In nautical superstition he is the spirit of the sea, his locker is where he keeps sunken ships. The origin of the expression is obscure. Some suggest that Davy is a corruption of the West Indian/African duppy or duffy, meaning a spirit or ghost. Additionally, the d and v suggest a possible corruption of Devil. Another suggestion is that Jones is a corruption of Jonah, both a biblical reference and sailor's slang for bad luck. Yet another idea is that there was a pirate or drowned sailor of that name. Still another idea is that Davy Jones was originally the owner of a 16th century London public house that was popular with sailors. The pub is said to have also served as a place for press-ganging unwary citizens into service: Davy Jones was thought to store more than just ale in the lockers at the back of the pub. The victims would be drugged and transferred to a ship, to awaken only when the ship had put to sea. As no definitive source has been pointed at, this is one of those expressions that has to be labelled: "Origin unknown."

Dead horse... Advance pay, which sailors expected to work off during a voyage

Dead in the water... A sailing ship that is dead in the water is stationary, with no wind in its sails to make it come alive. Transferring this to everyday life, to mean 'not going anywhere, brought to a halt' was only a small step, although it can be rather confusing if not used carefully.

Dead Marine... An empty bottle that has done its duty and is ready to do it again.

Devil to pay, the... Trouble as the consequence of an act. The devil is a seam of a ship’s deck closest to the side. ( see also Between the devil and the deep (blue) sea.) It was necessarily not straight and thus difficult to pay. This is an obsolete verb meaning 'cover with pitch' (tar). Hot tar was poured from a spouted bucket along the seams in the deck and the Devil was the hardest to complete.

Don't hand me a line... In common usage, we ask to be left alone or to be told the truth. In the golden days of sail, the person speaking would be demanding to be omitted from the activity of helping to tie up a boat while it is docking. The reasons for this could range from not knowing what to do to not wanting to soil their hands to thinking themselves too good to help.

Don't rock the boat... Like the previous phrase, this one would be easy to understand even if you had never set foot on a boat.

Down the Hatch... To eat or drink preferably quickly and in one go; the mouth being the hatch. Probably from the Merchant Marine. Cargo appears to disappear down a hatchway quickly.

Dressing down... The process of taking old or worn sails and giving them a dressing of oil or wax. Those men severely reprimanded were said to have been given a “dressing down”.

Dunnage... Often used these days to mean baggage or suitcases. Pieces of wood, or any other substance, placed between casks to keep them steady. The battens with which a storeroom is lined.

F

Fag End... These days, in the UK at least, is the end of a cigarette after it has been smoked or just the useless end of something. When there is nothing left of a rope except the end.

Fall foul of... Come into conflict with. From nautical jargon, in which the adjective foul has various meanings indicative of something wrong or difficult and the whole expression means 'collide with'

Fell in with... To meet someone you haven’t seen for some time. One ship meeting another at sea.

First-rate... Of the best quality. Warships used to be classified according to six divisions called 'rates', in the sense of kinds or sorts, depending on the number of guns they carried. A ship 'of the first rate' belonged to the highest of these divisions and was therefore among the most powerful. (Ships of 96 guns or more.) This phrase became shorter as it passed from naval into general use.

Flotsam and jetsam... Odds and ends. This expression comes from ancient maritime law, where flotsam, from the French floater, to float, is salvage found floating on the waves, and jetsam, a shortening of jettison, that which has been deliberately thrown overboard. By the 19th century this had come to be a cliché for odds and ends, with terms such as human flotsam, a popular term to describe the outcasts of society in modern times.

Fly by night... A large sail used only for sailing down wind which required little attention. One who departs or flees at night in order to avoid creditors.

Flying Colours (Pass with)... To exceed ones expectations.

Footloose... The bottom of a sail or foot which if not secured properly flaps in the wind. Like the foot of the sail, having no attachments or ties; free to do as one pleases.

Fourth rate... Not of any significance, of lesser quality. Ships were classed as to their size and number of guns. 1st rate being the largest of 96-110 guns. The ships large enough to lie in the line of battle were ships between 1st and 3rd class inclusive. 3rd class being 64-80 guns. Any ship outside of these classes 4th to 6th rate were not deemed large enough to lie in the line of battle.

French leave... Quitting the ship without permission or staying ashore after leave.

Full swing... on rare occasions, such as Christmas Day, crews were allowed freedom  to do pretty much as they pleased which usually meant getting very drunk. Probably from full swing of the lead.

G 

Garbled... The prohibited practice of mixing rubbish with the cargo was known as “garbling”.

Give a wide berth... Avoid; keep at a safe distance. A metaphor from seamanship. A berth is, among other things, a place where a ship is at anchor or at a wharf. A wide berth is plenty of room, especially important in former days for a ship swinging at anchor.

Give me some slack... This might be considered a distant cousin of the previous phrase.

Go by the board... Be discarded, lost, abandoned or ignored. Board was a nautical term for the side of a ship. Anything that went 'by the board', i.e. overboard, was therefore lost or liable to be.

Go with the flow... Sailing against a current meant a rough ride and a slow passage. If you sailed in the same direction as the current flow, the passage was much smoother and the ship's speed was generally increased. Especially in the 1960's, this phrase came to mean taking things easier, being more relaxed and tranquil, and not getting upset by the little tragedies of life.

Groggy... Comes from "grog," the name sailors in the Royal Navy disdainfully used for their daily ration of a half-pint of rum (100 proof /57.15% ABV) after it was decreed in 1740 that the rum should be diluted with an equal amount of water so it would not keep and it could not be secretly stored and imbibed later.  The unpopular order was issued by Vice Admiral Sir Edward Vernon, nicknamed "Old Grog" because of the impressive grogram cloak he wore on deck.

H

Hail from... Come from, live. In its sense of 'call from a distance to attract attention', hail was originally nautical and remained chiefly so until the mid-18th century. It was natural for sailing ships passing at sea to hail each other, and a ship which announced that it was from a certain port was said in nautical jargon to 'hail from' it. The term gradually came to be transferred to people and their home towns.

Half-seas-over... Drunk. A nautical term denoting the condition of a ship stranded on a reef, rock, etc., partly (half) submerged and with the seas breaking over it. The ship's helplessness is compared to that of a drunken person equally unable to steer a course.

Hand over fist... Rapidly. Normally used of making money or overhauling someone. This was originally 'hand over hand', a nautical expression applied to the speedy hauling in or descent of a rope by using alternate hands, rather than by the slower method of using both hands together.

Hard and fast... Inflexible. From a nautical term applied to a ship grounded on the shore, hard meaning firmly and fast meaning fixed.

Hard up... Short of money (etc.). Originally a nautical command for the tiller to be put as far as possible to windward, i.e. so as to turn the bows away from the wind. This was done under the stress of weather, which gave the term its metaphorical sense of stress of a different kind.

High and dry... Stranded; without resources or support. A nautical metaphor: a ship that is beached or on the rocks is left high by the receding tide and dry by being out of the water.

Hit the deck... Nautical slang for “jump out of bed,” or “wake up,” (Similar to "Shake a leg"). Later it became an instruction to get down out of harm's way.

Horse Latitudes... Refer to the regions of calm found at latitudes 30 degrees N. to 30 degrees S. It is said that sailing ships carrying horses to America, when becalmed in these latitudes, had to throw horses overboard in order to lighten their vessels and take advantage of any gentle breezes that might blow their way.

I

In the doldrums... Depressed, in low spirits. The origin of the form of the word doldrums is thought to lie in the Old English word dol, meaning 'dull'. As for the meaning there are two schools of thought. Early in the 19th century, and probably before, in the doldrums was used as a synonym for 'in the dumps, depressed'. Later sailors borrowed the phrase to describe the region of sultry calms and baffling winds within a few degrees of the Equator where the north-east and south-east trade winds converge. Here the progress of sailing ships would be greatly delayed for many days, their crews becoming frustrated and demoralised through inactivity. Hence their feelings provided the name for the area. Other authorities suggest that the reverse is true: the idiom is derived from the name of the place, the doldrums. It is difficult to be sure, but the dating of the usage gives support to the first version.

In the offing... About to happen. Offing is one of a number of English words that are found only in a single expression. It means 'that part of the sea visible from (i.e. off) the shore'. A ship that was in the offing was therefore within sight.

J

Jerry (or Jury) - built... Substantially constructed, using bad materials, etc. Despite the likelihood that this comes from someone's name, no actual Jerry has ever been identified, and claims that there was a 19th century building firm of this name on Merseyside have not been verified. Various nautical expressions include an unexplained use of 'jury' to mean 'temporary': a jury-mast, for instance, was a temporary replacement for a mast lost in a storm. As a result of this, 'jury' passed into general use as a synonym for 'makeshift'.

Jib - the cut of one’s (someone’s or something’s) jib... Warships would often have their triangular fore and aft sails cut down to make them narrower so that they could “maintain a point” (i.e.. heading) and not be blown off course. Upon sighting a distant sail a captain might not like the cut of the far ship’s jib (it may be of an enemy ship) and thus have chance to escape.

Junk... Was a term for a worn-out length of rope but became a derogatory term for "salt horse".

K

Keel Haul... To be severely punished. The ancient punishment of hauling a man under a ship’s bottom with ropes made fast to the opposite yardarms. Used mainly in the Dutch navy.

Keel Over... When a vessel capsizes and the keel comes out of the water and the vessel rolls over. Often used to describe a person that has fainted or passed out or died.

Kissing the Gunner's daughter... Was naval slang for corporal punishment administered to a young seaman strapped over a gun.

L

Learning the ropes - to know the ropes... Would-be sailors in a sailing ships often gasp when they get their first look at all the "ropes" on the average sailboat, but a classroom is exactly what this saying is all about.

Leeway... The lee side of a ship is that which is down wind, and a lee shore is that which is down wind of the ship. If a ship doesn’t have enough leeway it risks going ashore.

Let the cat out of the bag... Also see "no room to swing a cat". The cat was kept in a baize bag. One knew there was trouble afoot when the cat was taken out of the bag.

Line - toe the line... When called to attention on deck the crew would line up along the deck’s plank seams to form a straight line.

Listing to port... Most people who mentioned this one said what they are usually talking about is something that appears to be leaning to one side or another such an old house, a dilapidated trailer or a rundown car.

Loggerheads - to be at... A loggerhead was a long handled implement with an iron ball on the end. When heated it was used to seal the pitch in the deck seams. It was probably used as a makeshift weapon by quarrelling sailors.

Long Shot... Taking a shot from a gun, especially a cannon, at extreme range with little hope of hitting the target. More luck than skill. 

Loose cannon... Someone who is out oLongf control, unpredictable, who may cause damage. On sailing ships that had cannons, it was important that they be secured. Cannons being very heavy, a loose cannon on a ship's deck in a rough sea could be thrown about in an unpredictable fashion, causing a great deal of damage and inconvenience. At worst a cannon could plunge down a hatch way and through the bottom of the ship. Further, cannons needed to be secured during use, otherwise when they were fired, the recoil would send the cannon careering backwards across the ship, causing injury or damage on its way.

M

Make Heavy Weather... To make unnecessary work for others.

Maiden voyage... It's not difficult to guess the origin of this one. Applied to most any type of transportation that is new to the owner. This could include a car, motorcycle, boat, aircraft, bicycle or motor home.

Miss the mark... Many people associate this one with firearms and target practice. In reality, however, the "mark" in this case is a rounding mark - or rounding buoy - that sailboats competing in a regatta must pass before they can turn on to the next leg of the race course.

N

Nail one's Colours to the Mast... To refuse to surrender. When the colours are nailed to the mast they cannot be lowered in proof of submission.

Nelson touch... Capacity for inspiring leadership. The hero of Trafalgar, the battle (1805) which decided the survival of Britain and the freedom of Europe, seems to have invented this phrase himself to describe his own ability. From what he wrote it is not clear whether he was referring to his battle-plan or to the magic of his name, but it is the latter that lies behind modern applications of the phrase.

No great shakes... Empty casks were broken up or “shaken down” so the staves could be stores in as small a space as possible. They were worth very little money.

No room to swing a cat... The cat was a whip consisting of nine knotted strands about 18” long attached to a rope handle. Corporal punishment was carried out by tying a man to a grating etc. and whipped according to the sentence passed. The punishment was carried out on the top deck as there wasn’t room to swing the cat between decks.

O

On another tack. To go (off)... Is from the same source as right/wrong tack and means 'to take another course of action than that previously followed'.

On one's beam-ends... Almost penniless; destitute. On a wooden ship the beams were the horizontal transverse timbers holding it together and supporting the deck. A ship was said to be on its beam-ends if it rolled violently to one side so that these beams became almost vertical, as if the beams were lying on their ends. In that position it was of course in danger of capsizing, a desperate plight echoed in the metaphorical meaning of the expression.

On the right/wrong tack... In the right/wrong direction; following the (in)correct course of action or line of thought. From sailing, in which tack means 'direction'. More specifically it means the direction given to a ship's course by the act of tacking, i.e. moving in a zigzag fashion by adjusting the sails so as to move into the wind but obliquely to its direction.

On the stocks... In preparation. Not the device in which people used to be placed for punishment, but the wooden framework on which a ship used to be supported while under construction.

One hand for the ship, one hand for yourself... Very useful piece of advice for anyone doing a dangerous job. Especially useful advice to sailors aloft.

Over a barrel... To be caught in a situation where one cannot change one’s mind. A sailor to be flogged was tied either to a grating, a mast, a gun or over a barrel.

Overbearing... To sail down directly on another ship (usually the enemy) and come close enough to take the wind from the other ship’s sails.

Overwhelm... Comes from the Middle English word meaning "to capsize."

P

Pipe down... Stop talking. In nautical language this was a command given on a bosun's pipe (a small whistle), last thing at night, for silence and lights-out.

Plain sailing... Unobstructed progress. Formerly plane sailing, navigation by plane charts which represented the earth's surface as plane (i.e. flat) instead of spherical. This form of navigation was simpler and left less room for errors; hence the modern sense of the term which is, roughly, 'easy'.

Plumb the depths... Sink as low as possible (metaphorically). A nautical term meaning to use a mariner's plumb or plummet - a piece of lead (etc.) attached to a line - to measure the depth of water from a ship, especially when in a channel or close to shore, in order to avoid running aground. The expression was originally quite factual, without the sense of despair or baseness it now carries.

Pooped out... Originally described the condition of seamen caught on the poop or aft deck after a wave from heavy seas crashed down upon it.

Press-ganged... Force to do something (especially to join in) against one's will. The press-gangs, who kidnapped civilians or sailors for service in the navy, usually the latter, were feared for centuries until an improvement in servicemen's pay and conditions in the 1830s made them redundant. Press has nothing to do with 'pressure' here: it is from the obsolete prest (French prêt, or loan) meaning the money advanced on enlistment.

R

Round Robin... To keep taking your turn in succession. Petitions in the Royal Navy were often signed in a circle, signature to signature so that no individual could be singled out as the ring leader and thus punished. Nowadays it is used incorrectly for a “circular” letter.

Rub Salt into Wounds... (figurative) to make a bad situation worse by grinding it in; also to face more tragedy after battle.

Rummage sale... Stems from the French word arrimage, meaning "the loading of a cargo ship." Damaged cargo was occasionally sold at special warehouse sales.

Run a Tight Ship... For the captain to allow little leeway in what goes on, keeping things on a tight schedule.

S

Sail close to the wind... Take a risk; go to the very extremity of what is legal, decent, acceptable, etc. Taken from nautical terminology: if a boat under sail heads directly into the wind it will be stopped by the backward pressure of the sails against the masts. Sailing 'close to' the direction from which the wind is blowing is therefore risky but makes for more rapid progress than sailing at a more oblique angle.

Sail under false colours... Be hypocritical, dishonest. Quite often RN (and those of other nations) sailed under false colours either to evade capture or lure other ships within range of their guns.

Scarper... Although not strictly nautical the verb probably originates from the Italian 'scappare' - to escape and has been in use since at least the middle of the 17th century. In the 20th century the British naval base of Scapa Flow in WWI and WWII was well known in British society and found its way into Cockney rhyming slang. To 'scapa' was adopted, (Scapa Flow = go.) Scarpa Flow was the principle naval base of the Home Fleet situated in the Orkney Islands.

Scuttlebutt... A cask used to serve water. Gossip & storytelling, usually between crew members.

Sea-lawyer... Literally a sailor who, like his land-based counterpart the barrack-room lawyer, is disposed to raise awkward points about rights and wrongs, as lawyers are prone to do. In other words he is an insubordinate nuisance, sometimes even more troublesome by virtue of having right on his side. Now used of both men and women.

Shake a leg... To get out of bed. Originally a call to all in hammocks so that any women staying aboard (when the ship had had a spell in port) could be found. Men tend to have hairy legs! Those with smooth shapely legs would soon be discovered and sent ashore.

Shanghaied… To ship a sailor whilst unconscious from drugs. To be trick into awkward situation.

Sheet anchor... Chief support, especially in a difficulty. A nautical term for a large anchor used only in an emergency. Sheet may once have been 'shoot' (ready to shoot out in crisis), or it may be the seafaring term for a means of attaching something, i.e. the sheet anchor was not simply a replacement anchor but an emergency one and was therefore always kept ready with its own sheet attached.

Shipshape and Bristol fashion... Shipshape (in neat order) is a tribute to the traditional high standards of good order on board sailing ships, especially in the Royal Navy. The second syllable is a shortening of 'shapen', the old form of 'shaped', i.e. fashioned. Shipshape and Bristol fashion means the same: before the growth of Liverpool, Bristol was the major British west-coast trading-port with a high reputation for the standards of equipment and service needed for long voyages.

Skyscraper... A small triangular sale above the skys’le used to maximise the benefit of very light wind.

Slate - to start on/over a clean slate... Ship’s watch keeper would record everything on a slate. If there were no problems during his watch he would wipe the slate clean so the next watch could start with a clean slate. An opportunity to start over without prejudice.

Sling one's hook... Go away! One theory equates hook with a ship's anchor, so that to sling one's hook was to raise the anchor and sail away.

Slush funds... were once the personal funds of ship cooks, who earned them by skimming off the fat, or "slush," from cooking and selling it when the ship came into port.

Son of a gun... Used as an exclamation of disbelief or as an insult. Early warships had very cramped quarters. Sailors were often forced to sleep between the cannons because that was the only space available. On rare occasions women were allowed on board, some ships actually carried prostitutes. Other times, a sailor's wife would be allowed on board so that he would not have to leave the ship, and potentially desert. In either case, many children were conceived between the cannons. Women who gave birth aboard ship typically also did so between the guns.  If no father was known a male child was thus called a son of a gun and this was entered on the birth certificate.

Splice the mainbrace... Have a celebratory drink. In the days when sailors had a rum ration, the order to splice the main brace (two words) meant serving an additional tot as a pick-me-up after special exertion. After the introduction of steamships had made the sailor's lot less exhausting, the order was given when any special celebration was due. In naval parlance a brace is a rope and splicing it is a form of repair. The main brace was connected to the main sail; splicing it was not only obviously important but also dangerous in a storm. But there is no very clear link, except a jocular one, between an (unwelcome?) order to do this work and a welcome one to serve extra drink.

Spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar... Spoil something by economising on a small detail. This was originally, from at least 1600, 'lose the sheep [often 'hog'] for a half-pennyworth of tar' - i.e. let the animal die for want of spending a trivial sum on tar to protect its sores or wounds from infection by flies. 'Ship' was the dialect pronunciation of 'sheep' over much of England, and non-countryfolk obviously assumed that the expression referred to a vessel, the assumption being reinforced by the reference to tar, which was widely used on wooden ships to coat and preserve the timbers. To complete this transformation of a rustic expression into a nautical-sounding one, the rather extravagant and unconvincing idea of 'losing' an entire ship for the sale of a small economy was changed to 'spoiling' and the now familiar version emerged in the mid-19th century.

Square meal... A good, solid, nutritious meal. In the days of sail, British warships did not have the best of living conditions. A sailor's breakfast and lunch were sparse meals consisting of little more than bread and water. However, the third meal of the day included meat and was served on a square wooden platter. Many destitute men joined the navy in order to get a square meal.

Stay on an even keel... To keep one’s balance. The keel on a sailing vessel is ballast below the waterline that is designed to counterbalance the effect of the pressure created when the wind fills the sails. In modern sailboats, the keel is usually lead that has been cast in a shape that enhances the vessel's hydrodynamics. The keel is then bolted to the bottom of the hull along the centreline of the craft.

Stem to Stern (From)... Complete and thorough, usually pertaining to cleaning. The stem is the fore most part of the ship whilst the stern is the furthest part aft.

Stranded... Vessel or vessels that had drifted or run aground on a strand or beach.

Swab the Deck... Clean the floor. The job of scraping pitch, tar, or other things off the deck, cleaning it.

Sweet Fanny Adams/Sweet FA... Nothing at all. Fanny Adams was a little girl who was murdered in Hampshire in 1867. Her body, cut into pieces, was found in a river. The adjective sweet was probably added in a popular poem or ballad of the sort that was often composed in the 19th century to memorialise drama or disaster. With heartless humour, sailors came to apply the unfortunate child's name to the tinned mutton issued on board ship; one authority states that the joke originated in a sailor's discovery of a button in one such tin. By natural shift, the expression transferred from mutton to monotony of diet and then to any lack of a popular or necessary item.

Swing the lead... Malinger, evade duty, often by inventing an excuse. Originally 20th century military slang. Despite what some authorities say, it is unlikely to be nautical; it is true that a rope weighted with lead was used to measure the depth of sea beneath a ship, but this involved no swinging and was so crucial - and so closely supervised - that it cannot have become a metaphor for malingering. There was, however, a nautical expression 'swing the leg', an allusion to the pretense of having a damaged leg so as to avoid work: malingerers 'swing' it when walking so as to appear crippled. This expression may have been misheard or misunderstood during its transference to more general military vocabulary.

Sucking the Monkey... An unlawful prank and a violation of Admiralty Regulations undertaken by sailors in older times in the West Indies when they would fill empty coconuts ashore with rum and then bring them back on board ship.

T

Taken Aback... Aback is found only with the verb take. The expression is one of many that have passed from nautical into general use. A ship was said to be taken aback if the wind pressed its sails back against its mast, preventing forward movement.

Take the wind out of one's sails... Disconcert, deflate or frustrate one; deprive one of an advantage. A figure of speech derived from sailing. A boat under sail can be slowed down if the wind is prevented from reaching its sails. This can happen if another boat is positioned nearby in the direction from which the wind is blowing. This second boat is said to take the wind out of the sails of the first. The expression is sometimes used of frustrating someone's intentions by doing in advance what he or she has already planned to do.

Tell it to the Marines... I don't believe you! The Marines here are not the US variety as is often assumed but the much older military unit which belonged to King Charles II of England. Samuel Pepys' Diary for 1664 supposedly reports how Charles II was once at a banquet with the diarist, who was entertaining him with anecdotes about the navy. The subject of flying fish came up in conversation and had the company laughing in disbelief, all except for an officer in the marines who claimed that he too had glimpsed these creatures. The king was convinced, saying that the marines had vast experience of the seas and customs in different lands and that should he ever again come across a strange tale he would check the truth of it by telling it to the marines. Unfortunately, diligent searches of Pepys' Diary came up with no such entry and the story proved to be an ingenious hoax dreamed up by one W. P. Drury who spread it abroad in a book of naval stories he had written. The expression actually has its origins in the deep contempt with which the sailors of the navy had for the men of the Marines. The navy was jealous for their seafaring traditions and made the marines the target of ridicule, representing them as gullible idiots with no understanding of the sea. So successful was their slander campaign that an expression tell it to the marines, the sailors won't believe it became current.

The bitter end... The bitts (or “riding bitts”) at the ship’s bow were huge oak posts to which the end of the anchor cable was fastened. When all the anchor cable was paid out the bitter end is reached.

Three sheets to the wind... In nautical parlance, sheets are ropes attached to sails and are let out or pulled in to adjust the sails' positions. If they (and therefore the sails) are flapping loose they are said to be in the wind; the result is loss of control. A drunken person, experiencing a similar disorientation, was therefore said to be 'a sheet in the wind'; if one was three sheets in the wind (now a rather dated expression) one's condition was more desperate.

Top Hamper... Unnecessary weight carried on deck, or aloft.

To spin a yarn.... To tell a story (usually a long one); also, 'to pitch a tale'. Hence 'yarn' = a (long) story or tale: sometimes implying one of a marvellous or incredible kind; also, a mere tale, colloq. Apparently started with men--sailors--who made rope or at least were familiar with its manufacture, not with women who made fibre for fabric.

Touch and go... An exclamation, similar to the other familiar exclamation “A close shave”. When, in shallow water or over shoals, the ship’s keel touches or brushes the bottom but doesn’t become grounded, leaving the vessel able to move off again.

Trim one's sails... Restrain one's activities in line with present circumstances. The full expression is to trim one's sails before the wind, but the shorter to trim one's sails is now more commonly heard. The term is obviously nautical, referring to sailing ships and alludes to the setting of the sails according to the strength of the wind. Sails would be reefed when the wind was strong and let out in gentler conditions. In the same way someone who metaphorically trims his sails restricts his activities or expectations according to prevailing circumstances.

True colours (Show)... To let everyone know who you are and what you stand for. Ships often pretended to be from other nations during wartime, usually neutral, by not flying their true colours till the last minute. This ruse was used to catch enemy ships unprepared for battle and thus to gain an advantage.

Try a new tack... Often mispronounced as "tact", a tack is the set of the sails relative to the direction of the wind. If the wind is coming across the deck from the starboard side - the right side as you look forward - the boat is said to be on a starboard tack. Conversely, if the wind is coming across the deck from the port side - the left side of the boat when you look towards the bow the boat is on a port tack.

Turn a blind eye... Pretend not to notice. Lord Nelson was blinded in the right eye in Corsica during the war with France. During the first battle of Copenhagen (1801), when the admiral to whom Nelson was second in command signaled that he should break off the action, Nelson ignored the order (or, in one version, put his telescope to his blind eye), claiming that he had both a good and a blind eye and the right to use both. To have obeyed at that time would have risked disaster because of nearby shallows. The familiar expression came into use after his widely mourned death at Trafalgar in 1805.

Turn turtle... Turn upside down. Sailors originally invented this term when they learned to overturn the turtle or marine tortoise, which is suitable for food, in order to immobilise it. They applied the expression to the capsizing of ships or boats, but its use has now spread to other things that accidentally overturn.

U

Under the Weather... To be tired, worn out, or unable to work on a ship. Lookouts on the windward, or weather side of the ship, were often drenched by the seas and rain and were thus under the weather.

W

Whistle for it/for the wind... Used as a catch phrase: 'You can whistle for it' means 'I won't give it to you' or 'You won't get it'. A person who whistles for the wind is hoping for the impossible. The origin is an ancient superstition or saying among seamen that the wind could be brought to a becalmed sailing ship by whistling for it, as if the wind would blow in sympathy with a mariner's 'blowing'.

Windfall... Something blown onto a ship from a shore. If the ship was to find itself on a lee shore and possibly in peril and the wind backed to blow from the shore it was seen as a piece of sudden and unexpected luck.

Complied by Pip Taylor. Contact: pip@jackyspantry.co.uk.