Ben has held a life-long interest in language and has a detail interest in the expressions, phrases, and idioms that contribute to it .
Prepare to set voyage on the huge linguistic sea of maritime idioms. Vidar Nordli-Mathisen via Unsplash ; Canva
How Many of Our Everyday Idioms Come From Maritime Slang?
We frequently try to choose our words very carefully. however, we rarely give think to the sources and origins of the many expressions that litter our conversations. When we do delve into this world of words, we discover fascinating and enticing stories full of tradition, history, and valuable advice gleaned from the life experiences of those who helped create them. Terms sourced from a life at sea, for example, are as divers and abundant as the sailors who contributed to their creation. This article describes the meanings and origins of 50 terms, idioms, and phrases whose origins can be traced back to sailors and seafarers of honest-to-god. Seafaring has a long and rich history. many activities involved in life on the ocean have seeded the growth of nautical terms that have subsequently found their way into our daily vocabulary in the shape of idioms, phrases, and slang .
50 Pieces of Sailing Jargon That Are Now Common Sayings
All aboard ! With no far bustle, let ‘s walk the proverbial plank and dive into a ocean of sailor sayings and their oceanic origins !
1. On Board
Meaning: Part of a gang or team. Example Sentence: “ We should invite Anita to join us on the plan. Do you think she would be on board ? ”
2. Go by the Board
Meaning: Finish with, to be rid of something. Example Sentence: “ There was a time we could constantly rely on the bus ‘ timetable, but nowadays, it has gone completely by the display panel. ”
3. On Board
Meaning: fully understand what is being said or instructed. Example Sentence: “ now that I have re-stated my reasons for the decisiveness, I hope that this is something that you can take on board. ”
4. Give a Wide Berth
Meaning: Leave space for, veer about. Origin: At sea, a moor is a localization where a ship drops its anchor. In harbors, a berth is allocated to each gravy boat within it. however, any boat, ship, or yacht will still move with the tide when anchored to the degree that its anchor r-2 ‘s duration limits its movement. Hence, it always sensible to give other ships a wide position, or enough of room, to prevent accidents .
5. Batten Down the Hatches
Meaning: Prepare for trouble, take precautionary measures. Origin: This dialect is understand to have its roots in the glide practice of securing a ship ‘s hatchways to prepare for bad weather. These hatchways were normally covered by a grill or left open to allow bracing air circulation. however, when bad weather threatened, the crew would cover these openings with tarpaulins and fasten them in put with wooden battens .
6. Caught Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Meaning: Trapped/caught between meaning difficulties. Origin: This phrase is a way of saying that person is in a predicament or a dangerous place with no easy way out. An saying believed to have its beginning in the historic nautical practice of sealing the seam between a ship ‘s wooden planks with hot tar. In this context, the devil is the list given to the transport ‘s longest seam, which is typically the most prone to leaking.
7. Down in the Doldrums
Meaning: Describes being tuck in a rut, not making progress. Origin: This parlance was used by sailors to describe a situation in which no fart was present—sometimes for weeks at a time. Originates from a time when sailors relied entirely on wind exponent, this meant their ship would be stuck at sea-going nowhere. Example Sentence: “ I am feeling a bite down in the doldrums today ; nothing seems to be happening, and I am getting nowhere firm. ”
8. In Deep Water
Meaning: In fuss, out of one ‘s quilt partition. Example Sentence: “ Joey needs to be very careful who he hangs out with ; he is getting himself into deep body of water with that raucous gang of lads. ”
9. All at Sea
Meaning: In a state of confusion. Example Sentence: “ I am all at sea today—I ca n’t seem to make my mind up on anything at the moment. ”
10. High and Dry
Meaning: Stranded without any hope of recovering, in a predicament, and at a passing for solutions .
11. Three Sheets to the Wind
Meaning: Very, very drunkard .
12. Left High and Dry
Meaning: Abandoned ( by an individual or group ) in a unmanageable situation .
13. Sailing Close to the Wind
Meaning: Taking risks that may be unreasonable, being close up to breaking the law. Example Sentence: “ Jack is pushing his luck drive that car to the local garage on his own. The authorities suspended his license six months ago, and if you ask me, he is sailing close to the wind with that idea. ”
14. Sink or Swim
Meaning: Either fail ( sink ) or succeed ( swim ) in an endeavor or task Example Sentence: “ He is thinking about staking his integral week ‘s wage on the turn of a card. It surely looks like he is either going to sink or swim if he goes ahead with it. ”
15. Dead in the Water
Meaning: This formula describes a position where no far advance is being made, and the natural process has come to an unproductive end .
16. Rock the Boat
Meaning: Do something to disturb or aggravate the balance of a situation. Example Sentence: “ I do n’t want to rock the gravy boat, but I think I should say something about his demeanor. ”
17. All Hands on Deck
Meaning: A visit to action think of that everyone needs to assist in resolving a trouble or addressing a situation .
18. A Shot Across the Bows
Meaning: A warn shot. Example Sentence: “ I have told the neighbors that I intend to build an extension on that plot of land they all border. I surely gave them all a shot across the bows with that news. ”
19. Loose Cannon
Meaning: Something or person unpredictable, spontaneous and potentially dangerous. Origin: This expression originally described the havoc caused on a ship when a cannon breaks spare from its mooring during a storm or in conflict .
20. Make Waves
Meaning: Cause agitation or trouble among a community Example Sentence: “ Look, Simon has already committed the company to the takeover deal. If you raise issues with it immediately, you will only make waves and cause him difficulty in finalizing the deal. ”
21. Plain Sailing
Meaning: Smooth and easy, as in a course of action or future way .
22. Hunky-Dory
Meaning: Perfect or just fine. Origin: A give voice normally attributed to by american sailors who used it to describe a particular street in Japan called Honcho-dori. This street was known to lonely sailors for the services it provided .
23. Copper-Bottomed
Meaning: An expression suggesting that something is very stable or very safe, a term frequently used today in fiscal circles. Example Sentence: “ This is a great deal—high return with no risk—it ‘s copper-bottomed. ”
24. On the Right Tack
Meaning: Taking the line/course of carry through that leads to the right conclusion. Origin: When you take the chastise sail argumentation, you end up where you want to be. If a sailor takes the incorrect tack/line, they end up headed in the incorrectly steering .
25. Shipshape and Bristol Fashion
Meaning: That everything is o and in good order. Example Sentence: “ It ‘s been a good sidereal day. All sales targets met, all takings in and counted ; everything is shipshape and Bristol fashion. ”
26. Run a Tight Ship
Meaning: Manage and organization strictly, efficiently, and efficaciously Example Sentence: “ That newly director is very organized ; he surely seems to be running a tight ship. ”
27. Turn the Corner
Meaning: Pass a critical point on the way to somewhere better or safer Origin: An dialect used by sailors who had passed the Cape of Good Hope at the southerly topple of Africa. besides said when passing Cape Horn at the southerly end of South America.
28. Make up Leeway
Meaning: Make up for the time already lost or wasted Origin: In maritime terminology, allowance refers to the distance a ship has deviated from its proper path .
Scraping the barrel
29. Landlubber
Meaning: One who prefers not to be at ocean. Origin: This nautical phrase, said by season sailors, describes person glad on dry land. Example Sentence: “ If you do n’t mind, I will give that boat ride a miss. Sorry, but I ‘m afraid I am something of a landlubber. ”
30. Limey
Meaning: A british person. Origin: in the first place, this was a gull word for an english bluejacket. It came into being in the nineteenth century and was a mention to the Royal Navy ’ sulfur practice of issuing its seamen with rations of limes as a mean of preventing abject .
31. Bottoms Up
Meaning: An encouragement to drink or to finish one ‘s drink This imperative mood originates from an era when english sailors were normally hoodwinked into joining the united states navy. The trick involved giving the unsuspecting man a beer with a mint at the bottomland. Once the poor valet had monomania of the cash, he was deemed to have accepted payment and was swiftly enrolled or press-ganged into the Royal Navy. As people began to wise astir to the con-trick, they would say “ bottoms up ” to the people they drank with so that they could check for any hide coins at the bottom of their glasses .
32. Show One’s True Colours
Meaning: indicate who one very is, reveal one ‘s quality ( normally used in a negative way ). Origin: It was once common practice for ships to hoist their home flags before commencing struggle. Some ships would carry flags from many countries and hoist “ false flags ” to confuse or mislead their enemies at ocean. A practice that was particularly park among spanish ships in the seventeenth century. This rehearse besides introduced the term “ bamboozle ” into our linguistic process .
33. The Cut of One’s Jib
Meaning: The direction one looks or conducts themselves ( normally negative ). Origin: In the early 1800s, sailors used the term “ cut ” to describe the stipulate of something. “ Jib ” is the diagnose of the foresail that controls the general operation of a transport. Example Sentence: “ That new apprentice seems a piece besides lackadaisical to me. I ‘m not sure that I like the baseball swing of his resist. ”
34. Scraping the Barrel
Meaning: Obtaining the death dreg of something, procuring person or something that is of subscript choice. Origin: On 17th-century ships, sailors would scrape empty barrels used to store salt kernel to recover any remaining scraps. Example Sentence: “ My sister has a inadequate choice of men. By the looks of her latest boyfriend, she ‘s very scraping the bottom of the barrel. ”
35. Trim One’s Sails
Meaning: Adapt or change to fit adapted circumstances. lineage : in the first place, this referred to the act of changing a ship ‘s sails to better courtship and take advantage of the wind conditions .
36. Abandon Ship
Meaning: Leave ( as in an executive leaving a fail company ) .
Like Rats Deserting a Sinking ship
37. Rats Deserting a Sinking Ship
Meaning: people are leaving/abandoning a discredit or fail activity or organization.
38. Close Quarters
Meaning: tightly packed ( as in people in a small space ) .
39. Learn the Ropes
Meaning: Learn or understand the basics of how to do something .
40. Broad in the Beam
Meaning: Having wide hips .
41. Like Ships that Pass in the Night
Meaning: A phrase used to describe a brief brush or near-encounter ( as in two people have been in the same identify at the lapp clock time but not having run into one another ) .
42. Knock Seven Bells
Meaning: Launch an attack on person thus as to about finish them off. Origin: This artistic style has its source in the bell-ringing system that ships use to indicate how a lot of a four-hour shift has passed. For exercise, a embark ‘s bell being struck once every thirty minutes. Therefore, after eight bells have rung, a sailor ‘s shift is over.
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43. Choc-a-Block
Meaning: Full to the indicate of burst, crowded, full to the brim. Origin: This maritime phrase references wooden wedges ‘ placement to secure moving objects on the decks of ships.
44. As the Crow Flies
entail : The shortest distance between two points ( as in a straight line ) .
45. Sent up the Pole
Meaning: Driven huffy. Example Sentence: “ Gregory is driving me up the pole with his constant demands that I buy him that new album. ”
46. Through Thick and Thin
Meaning: For better or for worse, no matter what happens. Origin: This give voice comes from the method acting of using both thin and chummy pulleys and ropes used to hoist sails .
47. Pipe Down
Meaning: Be repose. Origin: This saying has roots in the nautical drill of sounding the boatswain ‘s organ pipe at the end of each day to signal lights-out. Example Sentence: “ Oh pipe down ! It ‘s time you switched that darn music off. ”
48. Hand Over Fist
Meaning: well and cursorily ( about making money ). Origin: primitively, this phrase referred to sailors pulling at a ship ‘s lines deoxyadenosine monophosphate quickly as they could .
49. Stem the Tide
Meaning: Try to prevent a situation from becoming worse than it already is. Example Sentence: “ The government seems ineffective to stem the tide of violence that is sweep across the area. ”
50. Keel Over
Meaning: Fall over. Origin: When a boat ‘s keel emerges from the water, the vessel is identical likely to capsize .
Land Ho!
I hope that you found this nautical journey relatively smooth sail. There are, I am sure, many more phrases and expressions that can trace their roots back to the life experiences, trials, and tribulations of those who have navigated our seas and oceans. possibly you wish to add some below ? This content is accurate and truthful to the best of the author ’ sulfur cognition and is not meant to substitute for ball and individualized advice from a qualify professional .
Questions & Answers
Question: Is there a phrase or saying which wishes a boater farewell ? Answer: It is common to wish a sailor adieu by using the term : “ may you have fair winds and following seas ”. The use of the expression “ fair winds ” is used to wish a person a safe journey or good luck. Whilst “ following ocean ” is used to express a politic travel. Question: I have heard of a nautical phrase beginning with “ Calm seas and … ” but I do n’t know how this expression ends. Can you help ? Answer: There are a number of sayings that basically wish a person farewell and a condom travel. I believe the formula you have heard is : “ Wishing you clean winds and calm seas ”. Question: What is the construction used for wishing person good and safe sweep ? It concerns tide and wind. Answer: The saying in wonder is to wish person a fair wind and a watch ocean. To wish for fairly winds is to hope for winds that are blowing in the direction of travel. While the phrase “ following seas ” refers to wave guidance that matches the commission of travel of a ship. I have sometimes heard this expression used with a flimsy variation : “ a carnival wind and comply tide. ” Both are often said as an construction of good luck and a safe travel. Question: What is the word used to describe the tie of a transport or boat alongside a dock for the night ? Answer: I believe the parole you are looking for is “ mooring ”. This is the dissemble of securing a boat to the dock. Question: Are “ biting end ” and “ square meal ” nautical terms ? Answer: The condition “ piercingly end ” does have a nautical background. This term refers to the fixate or fasten of the ship ‘s anchor lasso to the deck of the ship. It is the fasten of the end of the anchor r-2 to the bollards on deck ( besides called bitt or bitter end ). There are some references to “ hearty meal ” being linked to a navy practice during the time of Admiral Nelson, of serving sailors their food on square wooden plates. however, this is not a widely accepted attribution. Question: What is meant by the give voice : “ Turn a blind eye ” ? Answer: This is a give voice normally associated with Admiral Lord Nelson on the affair of him having willfully ignored a signal tattle him to withdraw from a naval engagement. however, there is testify to suggest that this formula was used years earlier by yet another admiral, this being Admiral Sir Hyde Parker at the struggle of Copenhagen in 1801. Question: What would “ sailing aside Huldy ” hateful ? Answer: I have not heard of this used as an artistic style before. I have however heard of the tune titled : “ Sail Away Huldy ”. I suspect that this is what you may have heard being referred excessively. Question: interrogate : What is meant by the phrase “ all aboard who ‘s coming aboard ” ? Answer: This give voice is said as a warn to passengers — reminding them that they need to hurry on board before the ship departs. The same phrase has besides been used in conjunction with other forms of enchant such as trains. Question: What does the phrase “ pull the anchor and the ship will sail entail ” ? Answer: This saying is a way to say that removing an obstruction will enable a travel or path to continue. It refers to the pulling up of a ships anchor, which will then enable the vessel to move from its position. Question: What does the term “ in the cans ” entail ? It was region of a prison term which read : “ whether in the cans or across the pond. ” I know that the pond is a term for the Atlantic, but what does the term “ in the cans ” mean ? Answer: Like you, I have heard reference to the “ the pond ” as intend across the Atlantic. I have not directly heard of this phrase being used in concurrence with the formula “ in the cans. ” The only nautical references that I can source about the word cans are : 1, slang for a naval destroyer. 2, a voyage terminus for racing around a buoy class. Or 3, a derivation of a german news describing a modest vessel. Question: Where does the idiom “ at the steering wheel ” ’ come from ? Answer: This parlance can refer to any fomite ( car or gravy boat ) that has a steering wheel. It is besides said when inferring that a person is in charge of something. Its origin is indecipherable. indeed, concerning ships and boats, before the early eighteenth hundred, tillers were used to steer and it was merely after this time that a transport ‘s bicycle became the outstanding steer mechanism. Question: What is meant by the expression : “ the methamphetamine is turned ” ? Answer: traditionally, to turn your glass over is to indicate that you have had enough to drink and that you do not want it filling, or topping up again. This expression has come to mean that you have had adequate of something and that you wish to either pause for contemplation or to take a new class of carry through. Question: In my coastal family the give voice “ gravy boat happy ”, would mean person who was near the end of a tax and was then arouse that they were not necessarily doing it very good. Do you think this originated from a sailor nearing the end of a long voyage ? never heard it anywhere else but we all understood its mean. Answer: There are a numeral of nautical phrases that have a similar mean as “ boat happy ”. An example being : “ whatever floats your gravy boat ”. I have heard “ gravy boat glad ” being used in a similar context to yourself. I am certain that it has a nautical context and origin but is one that seems to be used in certain areas of the state more than in others and its precise origin seems uncertain. Question: What does the idiom : “ A storm in a teacup ” beggarly ? Answer: This means that the significance of the issue is little. To say that a problem has been blown out of all proportion. Question: What is a “ boater ’ mho ramble ” ? As in, “ I have been on a bluejacket ’ s roll. ” Answer: To ramble is to wander or habitually roll. There is a folk birdcall called “ The Rambling Sailor ” which expresses the meaning of this far more succinctly than I can. The fourth verse of which goes : “ And if you want to know my name, My name it is young Johnson. I have got a commission from the king To court all girls that are fine-looking. With my false heart and flattering tongue I motor hotel all girls both old and young ; I court them all and marry none, And still be a rambling boater ”. Question: Why is a ship ‘s prison called the “ rattle ? ” Answer: A ships prison is more normally referred to as a brig. A ship that has been converted to a floating prison is normally referred to as a loom. I have heard of them being described as a rattle on rare occasions – normally when referring to the randomness of prison chains rattling beneath the ship ‘s deck. interestingly, the writer Paul Dowsell refers in his koran – “ Prison Ship : The Adventures of Sam Whitchall ”, to the rattling noise of prisoners chains scraping on the decks as they hobbled about. Question: Does the expression, “ a rising tide floats all ships ” actually have any historically nautical based roots ? Answer: There is some debate over the claim origins of this expression. Two of the independent observations are that it was popularised by politics and a language by J.F. Kennedy in 1963, when he was discussing economics. The second was from around 1910, where it was mentioned in a religious publication and cited as being first stated by a Commissioner McFarland in a language at a dinner event. Question: What is the term used to describe sailing around the global ? Answer: Circumnavigation is the term used to describe the complete seafaring around the populace. Question: How did you get from “ choc a blocking ”, to a different quotation “ full to the brim ” on # 43 ? Answer: An matter to question. Idioms are very effective at shortening what might otherwise be a long and complicated explanation. In the context of the idiom “ choc a barricade ”, I was trying to demonstrate the meaning that something was full to the circus tent, or squeezed together, and jammed full. Question: What is the origin of the phrase “ worse things happen at ocean ” ? Answer: There are a number of celebrated references to the use of this expression. Examples being : author Nevil Shute used this in his novel “ No Highway ” in 1948. It has besides been attributed to Spanish veterans returning from their conflict with the U.S.A in 1898. I suspect that the actual origin of this give voice may never be known. Donelly on July 13, 2020 : im concerned in knowing what terms were used for actual glide … like ready to tack … coming about … the sails are luffing … besides the names lke halyard, sheets, boom … chief last out, etc … wonder how they changed from back then … James kennerley on June 14, 2020 : I have heard that the freeze of balls on a brass section putter is actually the original say, from sea spray freezing the balls as opposed to the boldness shrink as indicated by wikipedia. Do you know which is decline ? Ben Reed (author) from Redcar on January 15, 2020 : Thank you for your gossip. extremely well explained and enlightening. Al Dumas on January 14, 2020 : Re “ Three sheets to the wind : ” Small harbor boats that shuttled between the larger ships and the dock were frequently sloop rigged — a main sail and a foresail called a resist. The “ ropes ” that controlled these sails are called sheets. The foresail had two sheets, normally merely one of which was used depending upon whether one was on starboard or port tack, and the sheet. additionally, they used rudders. now you could control the gravy boat with two sheets without the rudder, or even one sheet with the rudder, but not barely the rudder alone. So if all three sheets were blowing in the fart, you were out of master — hence, very, very drink in. Anita on November 05, 2019 : Docking at nox … coming aboard. not mooring. Ben Reed (author) from Redcar on October 16, 2019 : The bowsprit is a part of a little voyage vessel. It refers to the spar extending fore from the bow of the embark. Its purpose is to act as an anchor point for the forestay ( rigging that keeps the mast from falling backward ). mr zamsul bin ekhsan on October 15, 2019 : what is bowsprit Ben Reed (author) from Redcar on June 17, 2018 :
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Thank you for your comment Louise. We surely use phrases like these far more than we realise. Its only when we pause and think about them a while that we start to realise how dull our vocabulary might be without them. Louise Powles from Norfolk, England on June 17, 2018 : It ‘s surprising how many of these phrases you use in every day life. very concern !