Nautical Expressions in Every Day Use

[David M]

"Let's get back on course."

"Smooth sailing from here."

"Falling by the wayside."

"Deep sixed."

"Made him walk the plank."

"Two-blocked the guy."

"Scurvy beast."

"Limey" ...no offense.

"Salty language."

"Looks gun decked to me."

"Going all points of the compass."

[Healer52]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

that's about concrete

The whole nine yards was also a WWI fighter-aircraft expression. Some of the machine guns had fabric belts for the ammunition - 27' in length. When someone used them all (which meant that he was defenseless, should he be attacked on the way home) he 'used the whole nine yards'.

Not a nautical expression, but buying the farm dates back to aviation about the same time - a fatal crash. Either the government paid for the damage to a farmers field (usually inflated to the point that it paid, literally, the mortgage) or the pilot 'bought' himself a plot.

[Healer52]

Originally Posted by Chief Engineer

Spruced Up

Spic and Span. Although say it these days and you'll be in a race relations seminar.

[DannySt]

smooth sailing

[David M]

I have read that there is quite a dispute on where the term, The whole nine yards originates.

[zeehag]

mark twain, although isnt used as much as when sam clemens used it as a pseudonym...
when the sun is over the yardarm is time to take a drink of spirits.
belay this(that)

[David M]

"Teaching someone the ropes."

[fishwife]

belay that

[zopi]

The devil (or hell) to pay....referred to caulking the garboard strake on a sailing ship...a hard and nasty job...see also, Between the devil and the deep blue sea..

Davy jones' locker...

Deep sixed...

[zeehag]

now, when these beautiful clippers are moving thru the waters sails full and by---they are some awesome sight with a bone in their teeth.....

[John A]

Any port in a storm

[VirtualVagabond]

Shanghai'd
spends like a drunken sailor
over a barrell
footloose
Took the wind out of my sails
No room to swing a cat
Bristol

[Ex-Calif]

Originally Posted by fstbttms

"The whole nine yards"
"Cold enough to freeze the balls on a brass monkey"

I always thought the whole nine yards referred to the .50 cal machine gun belt in a WWII fighter, nine yards long.

The whole nine yards - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As for boating expressions used in everyday speech all the ones that come to mind have four letters and aren't suitable for a PG website.

[David M]

"That took the wind out of his sails."

[sarafina]

Originally Posted by Healer52

Not a nautical expression, but buying the farm dates back to aviation about the same time

earlier than that... Napoleonic era military slang, with the same basic meaning. The premise being that when the sailor/soldier retired he was "going to buy a farm" and when he was killed in battle and buried the farm he bought was the plot he was buried in.