Modern Phrases with Age of Sail Origins

[William the Drake]

At least within the English language (or at least the American-English language) we use a number of phrases and terms that are rather old and come from a myriad of unique places and times. For example, the term salary (i.e. pay for a job done) comes from the Latin word salarium which was a Roman Legionary's payment in the form of salt.

As it happens, there are a number of phrases that are derived from the Age of Sail. Here are just a few and a (somewhat) brief history and explanation of each.

[To] Learn the Ropes: We'll start off with one that seams fairly obvious, learning the ropes comes from when young boys and new sailor recruits were brought aboard a ship in order to begin their sailing education. One of the first things they would have learned was, well, the ropes: the many different types of knots that would be employed when managing rigging,a s well as the names of various lines, their purpose, and how to properly navigate and manage the miles of rigging line on a ship.

 

Three Sheets to the Wind: Another common phrase that actually was used in the same manner during the age of sail as it is now. A sailor (or anyone for that matter) was Three Sheets to the Wind if they were observably inebriated. The meaning of the term refers to a ship and its sails and rigging: a sheet was one or many of the lines that held down a sail by the lower corners. If a sheet  was loose (i.e. if a certain sailor had not yet learned his ropes properly) then the corner of the sail would flap uncontrollably, with the respective sheet loose and flying along with the sail. When the sheet was loose like this it was referred to as being "to the wind." This would cause a ship to loose speed and the sail to wave around. The more sheets that were let "to the wind" the more uncontrollable the sail became. This was also used in the phrase as a grading scale: if a Sailors was only One Sheet to the wind, then he was slightly buzzed, Two sheets meant he was becoming quite drunk, Three Sheets marked clear drunkenness, and Four Sheets meant you were passed out. 

 

Son of a Gun: This one comes from none other than the Navy. A Son of a Gun was a child who was born on a ship's gun-deck. At some point, sailors in the navy (Royal Navy?) were allowed their wives to accompany them on voyages (there are also accounts of women dressing as men and serving), and in the even of a pregnancy, a woman was required to give birth on the gun-deck. (It is also though that this term to be specifically directed to the child of a gunner, also having been born on the gun-deck)

 

Musket Phrases: Here are two phrases that come from the process of loading a musket. Here is a quick rundown of how to reload a musket so everyone is in the know: (See diagram in spoiler) To load a musket, one must first put the musket in the "Half-Cocked Position" which draws the hammer back only halfway. Next you load the pan with a small amount of powder and close the frizzen over the pan. Next you load shot and powder into the muzzle, ramming it down to the base of the barrel. Lastly, you fully cock the hammer, and pull the trigger. When you fire the musket, the hammer releases forward, the flint striking the Frizzen which creates a spark that ignites the powder in the pan which then ignites the powder in the barrel, propelling the shot.

spoiler 1: Flintlock Mechanism Diagram. Spoiler 2: Gif of Flintlock firing.

• To Go Off Half-Cocked: The terms To go off Half-Cocked or Don't go off Half-Cocked usually mean to do something before you are ready/prepared; to do something prematurely. In the Flintlock mechanism, the Half-Coked position is utilized so that the pan can be accessed and loaded, but so that should the trigger be pulled, the hammer will not have enough force to create a spark to ignite the gunpowder and fire the weapon while you are loading it.
• A Flash in the Pan: Today, a person or event that is a Flash in the Pan is someone who has been hyped up or put on a great show, but did not fulfill their intended goal (for example a new football player who has been the talk of the news expecting to do great things, but shows up only to perform poorly). This term refers to when the musket is fired, the gunpowder ignited, but the ignition from the pan to the gunpowder in the barrel does not connect. The result is a great flash from the ignition of the gunpowder in the pan (which happens when the weapon is fired successfully as well) but the weapon does not fire; there is a great show, but the intended end-result is not reached.

 

Cat of Nine Tails phrases: Next are two phrases that are derived from the use of the Cat of Nine Tails. The Cat of Nine Tails was a simple whip consisting of nine separate sections or "tails" that were tipped with nails or other sharp objects, referred to as the "claws". It was used as a disciplinary tool on both Naval Vessels and Pirate ships (not sure about civilian vessels). When used, a sailor would (usually) be restrained and his back made bare, and either the Bosun (the guy who's job it was to use the Cat 'o Nine, as well as carry out other disciplinary actions) or a fellow sailor would strike the back of the first sailor. One strike was a lashing. 

• To Let the Cat out of the Bag: Though today the phrase usually means to discover a secret, an earlier meaning conveyed that a point of no return had been passed (such as if a secret had been discovered/let out). When not in use, the Cat 'o Nine Tails was stored in a bag, usually out in the open to serve as a reminder to the sailors of their possible punishment. When it was needed, the Captain ordered to Let the Cat out of the Bag. It is argued that a sailor could plead his case and beg for mercy and avoid his punishment if the captain deemed so only if the cat had not yet been taken out of the bag. Once it was taken out, it was ready to use and would not be put back until done so. Any further pleading would be pointless as The Cat was out of the Bag.

I particularly like the scene from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest where Will turner meets his father, at which point Bootstrap keeps the bosun from striking Will and declares that he will take on the lashing. Davy Jones appears and asks why Bootstrap would do so. Bootstrap reveals that Will is his son, and then also refuses to give the lashings. At this point Davy Jones states "The Cat's out of the Bag Mr. Turner!" In this case the phrase is being used in both senses!: The secret that Will is Bootstrap's son has been discovered and that the Cat 'o Nine has been taken out and lashes must be given.

• You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours: This phrase referrers to that if a favor is done, a favor will be returned. Normally, when lashings were ordered, it was the Bosun's job to do so. The Bosun on almost any ship knew how to use the Cat 'o Nine to where each lash was devastating and would cut into the back of the receiver. However, other sailors could take on the task. What would happen is that, at an earlier time, sailors would make an agreement that if one was given lashes, the other would take on the responsibility to give them. When done, the sailor would strike only hard enough to simply scratch the back of the other man, instead of cutting him. It was agreed that this act would be reciprocated in reversed circumstance.

These are the ones that I know of, but I'm sure there are many more! Please feel free to add any more that you may know! Hope you enjoyed!

 

Fair winds and swift seas,

~William Drummond, the Drake.

[Arvenski]

Don't we already have like, two threads for naval terminology and such?

[William the Drake]

Don't we already have like, two threads for naval terminology and such?

 

The Naval and Nautical Terms post by Wind is a list of compiled terms that are common when speaking about the Age of Sail. It is the only similar topic I know of. It gives a brief definition of each term.

 

This topic is more about the phrases that we still use today in general conversation (i.e. when not talking about the Age of Sail explicitly). I also provided a more in-depth description for each phrase in comparison to the definitions provided by Wind.

[maturin]

Some of the meanings have evolved away from the original metaphor, but here's what I can think of off the top of my head:

 

By and large: A ship that sails well both upwind and downwind

 

Leeway: Room for error, as in the space between you and the sharp rocks directly downwind

 

Caught aback: Wind blowing on the wrong side of your sails, making you halt or reverse course

 

Weather the storm: To weather something means to pass to windward of it, probably while sailing upwind

 

Stem the tide: Point the stem (bow) of your vessel at the oncoming tide

 

In the offing: In sight of land, looking for a harbor

 

Give a wide berth: Keeping clear of an anchored vessel to avoid colliding

 

Scuttlebutt: A barrel of drinking water, and a great place for gossip

[Lemon-Mwang]

"2-6 heave" is still commonly used when pulling something, it dates back to the two men stationed at each cannon who's job it was to haul back the cannons or push them into firing position, this was the command for them to do so, the saying is now used on a few ships today for when ropes are being hauled.

[Spitzenhund]

Ships used to have their rudders afixed to the right side, and this was the side they steered from. 'Starboard' is a corruption of 'steorbord' or 'steer-board.' In fact, the word 'steer' comes from the Old Norse 'stýri' meaning rudder.

When pulling into port, ships approached with the land on their left side to avoid damaging the rudder. This is why that side is called 'port side.' It was originally called 'larboard,' derived from 'load-board' (the side you load cargo on), but they decided that the term sounded too similar to 'starboard' and changed it.

When two ships crossed paths, the one on the right side had the right-of-way (hence the name). Since ships often passed in the dark of night, they needed a way to determine the location and orientation of other vessels. So, they afixed a red light to left (port) side and a green light to the right (starboard) side.

If the red light of the other ship was visible, it meant that their left side was facing you, thus they were on the right, and that you should yield to them. If their green light was visible, then you were the one with the right-of-way. This is where we get our modern traffic signal colors: red means stop and green means go. This same color system is still used today on aircraft--look next time you see one fly over at night.

If you have trouble keeping it all straight, remember that port wine is red, and that there's never any left in the morning. Incidentally, port wine is named after the Portuguese seaport city of Porto, from which it was originally exported. All three of those uses of port that I just boldfaced are derived from the Latin word 'portus' meaning 'harbor.'

Of course, port wine isn't the alcoholic beverage most closely tied to the sea. For that honor, look to akvavit (sometimes called '' in English-speaking countries). The name is derived from the Latin aqua vitae meaning 'water of life.' Norwegians produce a particularly unique variety, called Linie Aquavits. It was traditionally put in barrels and strapped to the sides of ships for transport. This exposure to the sea gives it a unique briny flavor. Today, they still send it to Australia and back just to give it that flavor.

As long as we're hanging out at the water level on the side of an old ship, here's an interesting fact about the phrase, "there's the devil to pay." On old ships, they made them water-tight by caulking the cracks with oakum--a mixture of plant fiber and pitch. Caulking a seam in the boards was known as 'paying' the seam. The lowest seam--the one right over the water--was the most dangerous. Sailors had to hang off the side of the ship from ropes, and when they got right down to the water, there was a chance of being swept off. For this reason, the lowest seam was known as the Devil's seam. It it was your job to caulk it, then there was "the devil to pay."

As much as I'd like to say that's the origin of the phrase, it's not. The first use predates nautical terms by a century; sailors just lifted the term and reused it. The degree to which it was contrived is unknown.

Similarly, the bottom corner of a sail is called the 'foot.' If the foot is let loose, the sail dances around in the wind. It's footloose!

Kevin Bacon starred in the movie Footloose, and you're probably familiar with the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" system. The idea, in case anyone is unfamiliar, is that Kevin Bacon has been in so many things that you can classify actors by how many 'degrees removed' from Kevin Bacon they are. (e.g. Susie was in a movie with Joe, who was in a movie with Tommy, who was in a movie with Kevin Bacon...three degrees).

Less commonly-known is the 'Erdős number,' named after mathematician Paul Erdős. He co-authored so damn many academic papers that you can link most other authors to him by degrees.

The surname 'Portman' is also derived from the Latin portus. A 'portman' loaded ships.

Edited January 27, 2016 by Spitzenhund

[Salty Dog.]

Devil to pay: or fully "the devil to pay and no pitch hot" or sometimes "“there’s the devil to pay and only half a bucket of pitch” is a naval term referring to a difficult job with limited resource.  The "Devil" was the longest seam which was difficult to reach, 

[William the Drake]

Just a thought, does the term "Safe and Sound" have nautical roots? Perhaps that the depth is safe/deep enough to navigate?

[VonVolks]

"A square meal" comes from the square plates the RN used.

 

"Larking About" comes from the young midshipmen going aloft and "skylarking" in the high rigging.