Nautical Trivia

[Lancerbye]

Manure... An interesting fact

Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported
by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large
shipments of manure were common.



It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when
wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the
process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas.
As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and
did) happen.



Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came
below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM!



Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just
what was happening



After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship
High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high
enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would
not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane.



Thus evolved the term " S.H.I.T " , (Ship High In Transport) which has
come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.

You probably did not know the true history of this word.

Neither did I.

I had always thought it was a golf term or common terminology used while working on a marine engine.

[delmarrey]

THat story is buried so deep in the archives I can't find it anymore.

BTW it's not true!

Well, clever as all that may be, whoever wrote it doesn't know **** about ****. According to my dictionary, the word is much older than the 1800s, appearing in its earliest form about 1,000 years ago as the Old English verb scitan. That is confirmed by lexicographer Hugh Rawson in his bawdily edifying book, "Wicked Words" (New York: Crown, 1989), where it is further noted that the expletive is distantly related to words like science, schedule and shield, all of which derive from the Indo-European root skei-, meaning "to cut" or "to split." You get the idea.

Origin of the S-Word: 'Ship High in Transit' - Netlore Archive

Well, if we are going to start this again...
Why is a saloon called a saloon, but now a salon?
Why is a head a head, but the toilet is the head, and the head is really the lou? Or is it the comode in the head?
Then there is the berth in the cabin, or is the berth the room itself?
And, what about the pilot house, house or enclosed cockpit?
Well, at least the galley is the galley. As long as I know where the food and beer are kept, the rest is academic.
Oh wait, isn't the galley where the slaves are kept?

[Miniyot]

Time to resurrect a possibly good topic?

A galley was originally a warship that had numerous oars. It predated Christ by a thousand years and was still in use over a thousand years after Christ.
It had a cruise speed of at least 8 knots and could reach speeds of at least ten knots for around 30 minutes, but would tire the crew. These ships were primarily found in the med...it must have been hot rowing these ships....maybe that is why a galley is what people call the kitchen on a boat....

[Alan Mighty]

Originally Posted by Miniyot

Time to resurrect a possibly good topic?

A galley was originally a warship that had numerous oars. It predated Christ by a thousand years and was still in use over a thousand years after Christ.
It had a cruise speed of at least 8 knots and could reach speeds of at least ten knots for around 30 minutes, but would tire the crew. These ships were primarily found in the med...it must have been hot rowing these ships....maybe that is why a galley is what people call the kitchen on a boat....

Galleys (Latin: galea) of Mediterranean where definitely long, low, and fast. Unclear from where name came originally, but boat genre may have been named after shark or land carnivore, similar to weasel. Both shark and weasel-like animal were called gale (Greek: γαλέ). Makes sense - galleys were sleek fast pursuit vessels, so likely named after shark.

In English, galley was used for low flat boat (1300 galeie) and large open row boat (1570 gallye).

In 1650 word transferred to printing technology. Gally was name for oblong tray on which page of type was set. Hence galley proof etc.

Then changes that bring us here.

In 1750 word gally used to refer to part of ship's cook room (not whole cook room) where fire was set under grate. Since 1750, word galley transferred to be whole cook room of ship, not just stove or fireplace.

Idea that galley on boat is hot working place for slave is bit fanciful, but many people like that construction: humans like stories about inequality, hierarchy, fairness (look at tv dramas and what passes for entertainment - if not about simulated sex, then about inequality, hierarchy, fairness/justice etc).

More probably usage in 1750 was about shape of cooking range - all other uses in English before 1750 were about low, flat, more-or-less oblong things.