Trivia.
"Sorry, I'm on the blower!"
03-Oct-1998
This page is the work of my webmaster Barry Sturrock. Barry sadly died in April 2005. I thought it only right and proper to leave this page as it is. He had a real quirky sense of humour and was always one for the trivia of life. If you click on the may little blinking British Seagulls on the site, yes they are winking at you, you will see a few of his favourites, plus a smattering of bits of info from me.
John July 2005
Have you ever considered how living on this sceptred isle has affected the way you converse with you fellow man. There are many influences that mould the way we are and the way we speak. Schools, occupation, social status (whatever that may mean), birthplace, parents and so on.
However, there is one influence that affects all of us in a very subtle and often unnoticed way -we live on an island.
It is true that we are no longer the great Naval force we used to be. Never the less the affect of those heady days when we went swaning around the globe claiming large chunks of other people's countries as ours has left a lasting affect on our everyday language.
Not only did we "nick" their lands, but often we nicked their languages too, or at least bits of their languages - the bits we liked and could pronounce. The English language contains words and phrases from many countries throughout the world and many of the influences are nautical.
Due to constraints of space I have not listed the origins of the words below, anyway, most of the origins are obvious some not so. This one deserves a special mention:-
Fanny- Oval or cylindrical mess serving dish originally used in the packing of tinned meat for general Naval issue. When it began in 1907, this technique was regarded with great suspicion by the sailors, especially as a young girl named (sweet) Fanny Adams had been murdered and dismembered around that time.
The tins were re-used on the mess decks as utensils, but the coincidence resulted inFanny's name living on in a completely unintended way..........…
what did you think it meant??
This then is a list of some 200 words and phrases that have a nautical origin. It could be argued that some of these words and phrases may have other origins, so I stand to be corrected.
It was "touch and go" whether I would complete this on time. I managed to "steer clear" of the TV and "knuckle down" to it but I was a bit "hard pressed".
So I decide to "change tack", "bear down" on the problem and keep going to the "bitter end". Before long I was "home and dry".
The "down side" was that all my other work was "knocked into a cocked hat" and I just "flaked out".
If you have any more to add or you can provide a known origin please let me know.
Acknowledgements to the many contributors to this list who must lead as sad a life as I do.
Hard pressed
Pipe down
Piping hot
Adrift
In the pink
Roped in (to something)
Tie the knot
Scrape the bottom of the barrel
Fanny (about)
In deep water
Still waters run deep
Going overboard
At half mast (trousers)
Steer clear
Give a wide berth (to)
Run a tight ship
Touch and go
Warm the cockles (of your heart)
Stick-in-the-mud
Pier head jump
Beamy
The down side
Stowaway
Pooped (tired)
Steady as she goes
Riveting
One over the eight
Three sheets to the wind
On the fiddle
Square meal
Ship shape and Bristol fashion
Keel hauled
No room to swing a cat (of nine tails)
Push the boat out
Up the creek without a paddle
Know the ropes
I will show you the ropes
Freeze the balls of a brass monkey
Take the wind out of their sails
Full steam ahead
P.O.S.H. (port out, starboard home)
Jack tar
Limeys
One bad apple.......
Anchor man
Anchors away
Hard cheese
Hard tack
Cannon fodder
Packing them in (slaves)
Flotsam & Jetsam
Running free
Bit by bit
Galley slave
Taken aback
Hard aground
grounded
Put your oar in
Nelson's blood
Belay (stop that)
Dressed up to the nines
Carry on (naval pipe message)
Bone in her teeth
Long in the jaw
Avast
Home a dry
Homeward bound
On the blower (speech tubes)
Sounding out
Taken or caught aback
Show a leg
Like a shot
Dressed overall
Jack of all trades
Take a turn
Shiver me timbers
The suns over the yard arm
The tides out
Tide mark
All in the same boat
Jury rigged
Standing four square
Trim your sails
All hands (to the pumps)
Plain sailing
Ebb and flow
Turn of the tide
Under the weather
Old salt
When my ship comes in
Wreck (wrack) and ruin
Top notch
Copper bottomed........
A1 condition (Lloyds)
Batten down
Abandon ship
Sling your hook
Hook line and sinker
Sinking feeling
Between the devil and the deep blue sea
Blow your stack
Bye and large
Clear the decks
Close quarters
Haven't a clue (clew)
The coast is clear
To deck someone
Trip up (anchor)
Hell or high water
Stranded
Stow away On the beach
Beached
Any port in a storm
Hot bed
Safe haven
Take the plunge
Dippers
Swab the decks
Turn turtle
Stem to stern (to clean)
Fend off
Flare up
Fetch her mark
Up anchors (and away)
Leading light (a)
On an opposite tack
To thwart (thwarted)
In a trice
Scandalised (her name)
Tuck in
Heave to/ho
Underfoot
Wake (left a trail in his)
Standing watch
Flog to death
Aye aye captain
Knocked into a cocked hat
Bunting
Bitter end
Bear up
Bear down
Bale out (to)
Defaced
Take sounding
Turn a blind eye
Two by two
Get spliced
Get hitched
Raise the flags
Nail your colours to the mast
Spike his gun
Show a light (shine a light)
Mark time
Sound him out
Keep a sharp look out
Slippery as a fish
Has no bearing on the matter
All points meet
Tipping a hat
Leeway (to give a little)
Blowing a gale
Land lubber
8 Bells
Head room (Heads)
Rough with the smooth
Scupper(ed)
All at sea
Sea legs (got his)
Back water
To founder
To gripe
Make ready
Take the strain
Sure-footed
Don't make waves
Long walk of a short pier
Change tack
Sail close to the wind
Put a block on it
Flake out
All found (well found)
Yard-broom
Heading (he was)
To heel
Ranging about
Bobbing up and down
On the crest of a wave
Hitch up
Jack in the box
Knuckle under
Come along side
Lofty
To lug (lugging home)
Take the middle ground
Tug-of-war
Give no quarter
Round up (on someone)
Get a strop
Sweep (her off her feet)
Wedding tackle
Pilot (hole)
Fair and square
Tarred with the same brush
Barry Sturrock