Heave-Ho...what is the meaning of the phrase?

[rhr1956]

My dad always said "Heave-Ho me hearties" but I never really understood what it means. Seems it can either mean retrieving an anchor or throwing something overboard. ???

[Vasco]

At the risk of being crucified by a certain gender in the old pirate days it meant "get the women off the ship".

[casual]

HOW TO "HEAVE TO" - YouTube Here you Go

[captainKJ]

Used on the old tall sailing ship when moving heavy objects. Another one was 2,,6,,Pull-----those were sailors on the canon numbers 2 and 6 and they had to pull together at the same time.

Term: heave ho (interjection)
Definition: A call used coordinate the efforts of several seamen hauling on a line.
Blog Link: SeaTalk: Nautical Anachronisms

[Cheechako]

I'm guessing the "Heavo Ho" means "get to work". or maybe more, "OK... pull now!" Like a particular task at hand, maybe pulling on any particular line on a square rigger. If you and your dad were lifting a trailer tongue to put on the trailer ball, you might say... "Ready....Heave HO!" instead of "1, 2, 3 lift!" That's always been my interpretation of it anyway...

[captainKJ]

interesting link

SeaTalk

[captainKJ]

Originally Posted by Vasco

At the risk of being crucified by a certain gender in the old pirate days it meant "get the women off the ship".

You BAD,,,,gonna tell Sara on you

[casual]

18 USC § 2237 - Criminal sanctions for failure to heave to ...
Try this one

[captainKJ]

Heave TO and Heave HO are 2 different things

[bobconnie]

Think about the words ! Heave is to pull or push on the word. The Boatsun calls Heave and the crew answers by pulling or pushing on a line or winch handles and at the time of there actions say the Ho and so on At least it was what I was taught on the Halibut Boats many yrs ago