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15-08-2010, 08:01
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2010
Location: By the River of Silver
Boat: FPD 1760 LCD 17"screen
Posts: 304
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Nautical Expressions in Every Day Use
An idle thought that crossed my mind when I used the phrase
"follow in someone´s wake" and realised the original meaning .
I was going to ask you what phrases you can think of but then came across this website and thought I would share it. Hope you like, as sometimes the reasons why something peaks my interest are unfathomable ... 
Nautical Terms and Phrases Used In Everyday Speech
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15-08-2010, 08:09
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#2
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Eternal Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North of Baltimore
Boat: Ericson 27 & 18' Herrmann Catboat
Posts: 3,798
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Spruced Up
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15-08-2010, 08:50
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Fort Pierce, FL. Texas Roots
Boat: 82 Present, 13 ft dinghy
Posts: 495
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all ahead flank, full speed ahead an of course,.. going to the head.
__________________
'Da Mule
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15-08-2010, 09:10
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#4
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Eternal Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North of Baltimore
Boat: Ericson 27 & 18' Herrmann Catboat
Posts: 3,798
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None of these are used in common speech
among landlubbers
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mule
all ahead flank, full speed ahead an of course,.. going to the head. |
Between the Devil and the deep blue sea
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15-08-2010, 09:39
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 417
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15-08-2010, 09:48
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 6
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Between the sheets
Mind your P's and Q's
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15-08-2010, 09:49
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 834
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In our household (step father was a Chief PO) there were a few expressions in use that weren't in general circulation and most of them are unrepeatable, however when a group of people were lifting things you waited until someone said "Two Six" and then lifted.
I never found out why it was 2-6 but, apparently, in the Royal Navy that's what they say.
"Aye Aye Cap'n" got a lot of use as well plus I was taught how to tie bowlines, clove hitches, sheet bends, monkeys fists, etc.. Also not common in the general population.
__________________
Arthur Dent: "I wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was younger"
Ford Prefect: "Why? What did she say?"
Arthur: "I don't know - I didn't listen!!"
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15-08-2010, 09:52
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Florida/Alberta
Boat: Lippincott 30
Posts: 9,904
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son of a gun
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15-08-2010, 09:55
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Malvernshire, on the sunny side of the hill.
Boat: 50' steel canal and river cruiser
Posts: 1,905
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Square meal, bitter end, toggle and two, batten down the hatches, high and dry, im sure i will remember more cos you know how it is when you actually try and think of something and cant.
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15-08-2010, 10:12
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: In transit ( Texas to wherever the wind blows us)
Boat: Pacific Seacraft a Crealock 34
Posts: 4,115
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Skyscraper, a term we use for tall buildings originated from the name of the triangular shaped most upper top sail on a ship (the sail was said to look like it was scraping the sky).
Great link adax,
Erika
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15-08-2010, 10:27
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Baltimore, USA
Boat: Irwin Citation 39 'Chesagansett'
Posts: 159
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Yeah, if your dad was Navy (mine was, USN not RN), you might pick up a few more terms.
But, common use:
Scuttlebutt,
Full speed ahead (ADM Farragut, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"),
Clear the decks,
Allusions to press gangs,
Keel hauling,
Taken aback,...
and in political discussions, Voltaire's quip about the unfortunate ADM Byng (RN) is sometimes quoted, " ...pour encourager les autres"
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15-08-2010, 10:36
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#12
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Hull Diver
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Under a boat, in a marina, in the San Francisco Bay
Posts: 5,433
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"The whole nine yards"
"Cold enough to freeze the balls on a brass monkey"
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15-08-2010, 10:38
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,185
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tell tail
above board
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15-08-2010, 10:42
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 834
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve_hendry
Yeah, if your dad was Navy (mine was, USN not RN), you might pick up a few more terms.
But, common use:
Scuttlebutt,
Full speed ahead (ADM Farragut, "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!"),
Clear the decks,
Allusions to press gangs,
Keel hauling,
Taken aback,...
and in political discussions, Voltaire's quip about the unfortunate ADM Byng (RN) is sometimes quoted, " ...pour encourager les autres" |
Anjou (above) was right. Now I've seen others I remember some more. "Clear the decks", "Full speed ahead" and "Batten down the hatches" in particular. I still use them myself.
__________________
Arthur Dent: "I wish I'd listened to what my mother told me when I was younger"
Ford Prefect: "Why? What did she say?"
Arthur: "I don't know - I didn't listen!!"
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15-08-2010, 10:42
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 6,185
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fstbttms
"The whole nine yards"
"Cold enough to freeze the balls on a brass monkey"
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that's about concrete
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