Salty Dog Talk (6 page)

Used by some as an exaggerated reprimand. It comes from the very barbaric punishment of dragging the victim slowly through the water from one side of the ship to the other; literally under the keel. Another term used in the same context is
walk the plank
although there is no evidence that anyone was actually made to do this.

The rigging in a large sailing ship could comprise upwards of ten miles of cordage and all this divided into hundreds of separate parts each with its own name and function. Most of the hauling ropes were made of the same material, a great many were the same size and almost all were of the same construction, hence it was very difficult to tell one from another. Only from the precise position that ropes were secured on deck could they be identified and this was generally standardised in every ship. Nonetheless even this arrangement took time to memorise and the term ‘knowing the ropes’ became the distinction between the old hand and the beginner. (Interestingly only three ropes were called by name: the bolt rope, the boat rope and the manrope.)

Sick and unable to work. The term is taken from the description of a ship ‘laid up’ or out of commission. Literally with her keel ‘laid’ on large wooden blocks which provide a safe and level base so that her underside can be repaired or inspected. Opposite to laid up is
launched
– another sea term which has come into general use.

A conspicuous piece of land, or prominent building on the shore, that is marked on the mariner’s chart and which when identified enables the vessel to establish its position. The word has come to mean a turning point or some feature which marks a change.

Hammock

To lash something aboard ship is to secure it with ropes (known as
lashings
). Done either as a temporary repair or simply to stop an item breaking adrift in rough weather. Later it came to mean a hurried expediency, a badly performed job or complete disorganisation.

In 1915
HMS Formidable
, the first British battleship to be torpedoed by a German U-boat went down off Portland Bill. Hours later fishermen in Lyme Bay recovered a body on the beach and carried it into the Pilot Boat Inn in West Bay. While the body lay on the floor the landlord’s dog pulled aside the tarpaulin which covered the victim and began licking its face. So much fuss did the dog make that it aroused the owner’s attention who found that the body left for dead was in fact alive! Years later Hollywood heard the story and this inspired the dog hero movie. They named the dog after the survivor John Lassie.

It comes from the Latin
latitudo
which means breadth. In its nautical use it is a measure and is the amount by which a vessel’s position lies either north or south of the equator. Hence to allow a person
latitude
is to give them scope and freedom of action.

To study the lay of the land is to make an initial inspection, a first step. Making a landfall a sailor studies how the land ‘lays’ along the horizon to see whether he can recognise any prominent features which would make it familiar or if it promises landing facilities, shelter and so forth. Another expression with the same meaning is
see how the land lies
.

Leading lights are those which mark an entry to a port, one some distance in front of the other. There are usually two and when brought into line point a safe course between rocks and obstructions and ensure the vessel a safe entry. The phrase has come to describe a prominent person, star turn or dynamic personality.

The distance a ship is forced sideways from her intended course by the action of wind and sea. It is correctly designated as the angle between the ship’s head and the track which she will ultimately make. Colloquially
leeway
is room to operate, or falling behind with something and having to make up lost time.

Aboard ship the order
let fly
meant to let go quickly the sheets which held the sails whereupon they would shake uncontrollably (as a raging person can do). The order was given to stop a ship smartly. In the navy a junior ship was required to ‘let fly her sheets’ in salute to the flagship. Let fly has since come to mean to lose one’s temper, or remonstrate angrily.

Its nautical origin describes a safety rope rigged along the decks which in bad weather provided the crew with a secure and convenient hand hold. It is a word which has come to mean anything upon which life depends.

The name used by Americans to describe anyone of British origin. Originally the word was limejuicers and was applied particularly to British ships, then by extension to the sailors who served in them. In effect it is a compliment by attributing to the British the wisdom of regularly issuing lime juice to the crew as a prevention against scurvy. The advantages of such a remedy were known since the Elizabethan times but it was not until 1795 when the lack of fresh food on long voyages caused so many deaths that the issue of lime juice was regularised. British ships are still required to carry lime juice.

When paying the deck seams aboard ship it was necessary to heat pitch in a bucket to such consistency that it could be poured. Only the most obliging cook would permit this in his galley and so the solution was to use a
loggerhead
which was a large iron ball fixed to a handle. This was heated in the galley fire then dunked into the pitch. The expression ‘to be at loggerheads’ suggests it was also a popular weapon to use in an argument.

A ‘loggerhead’ is still used in the USA to hot-up and blend alcholic drinks – though a much smaller version of course.

To appear menacing and important, often larger than life. A ship’s lookout will search for the
loom
of the land which can sometimes be projected above the horizon by a refraction of the light, thus making it visible far beyond its normal range. The word can also be used to describe the indistinct vision of something seen through a mist. At night the
loom
of shore lights is reflected in the sky.

Rope ends which have become unravelled are called loose ends. It was a never ending job in a sailing ship putting new whippings on the ends of the running gear. If a sailor found himself idle he would be ordered to go around the ship looking for loose ends to tie up. Hence the idea behind the expression of being bored with nothing to do.

Knowing the ropes

An
ebb
tide is one which is going out. A
low ebb
or the last of the receding tide can uncover a vast expanse of mud and perhaps the expression to be at a low ebb also alludes to the emptiness which is left.

The Norwegian word for a whirlpool. There are over fifty whirlpools off the Norwegian coast. The word describes any violent upheaval.

First trip made by a ship after launching. It is a natural allusion, ships are ladies and one which is new and unused would be thought of as a maiden.

Laid up

Chief support. Although there are many different stays in a full rigged ship and all support the masts, and although every sailing ship has a mainmast there is no mainstay as such.

To introduce oneself. Every ship has an official number which it is required to hoist as a flag signal when entering port. The authorities ashore can then read the numbers and from
Lloyd’s Register
find the name of the ship long before the letters on her side become visible. It is also the custom of ships when meeting ships of the same fleet at sea to hoist their signal letters.

A self-imposed difficulty. Literally to fashion an instrument of punishment. The cat o’ nine tails for example was always made by men awaiting flogging. They would be given a length of rope and ordered to strand it then plait it into nine ends projecting from a rope handle. If on inspection the work was found to be less than satisfactory they would be given extra lashes.

When a ship moves forward through the water she is said to be
making headway
. To appreciate the significance of this expression one has to imagine a large and clumsy sailing ship trying to
tack
in light airs. R. H. Dana describes the operation in which a dozen different orders were involved. Frequently the effort would come to nothing, and the drill would have to be repeated for a second or third time with the ever present risk that the ship would drift and go aground. It was with some relief that the crew watched the sails slowly fill and the cry ‘She’s
making headway
’ was heard.

Factotum, handyman. The name of Robinson Crusoe’s manservant in Defoe’s book of that name.

A corruption of the Spanish
cimarron
which means wild or unruly. It was the word given to runaway slaves in the Spanish colonies of the Caribbean. Later it was adopted by pirates of the area and came to describe their practice of setting unwanted men down on an inhospitable shore.

A friendly word meaning two who break bread together, or more precisely meat – two who share meat. From the old Teutonic word
gamaton
–
ga
implying a conjunction, plus
mat
for meat.

Other people think it comes from the French
matelot
, or sailor.

Believed to have been coined by the French officer Duc de Richelieu who led a successful attack on the British navy base of Port Mahon in Minorca in 1756. Finding the storehouses in flames and with no food for the victors, Richelieu improvised a meal from remnants comprising eggs, vinegar, oil, pepper, salt and mustard. The beaten ingredients so delighted the Frenchmen they named it after their victory –
Mahonnaise
.

Muddle, confusion. Derived from the ship’s
mess
, the space where the men ate and slept. From the Spanish
mesa
meaning table. Although the Anglo Saxon word
mese
means the same.

To miss the liberty boat which carried sailors returning from shore leave out to their ships. Hence to miss an opportunity.

It was customary for ships to sell old and redundant ropes to shoreside traders and traditionally this money was shared amongst the crew. Since it was a bonus and something they did not have to work for it became the term for easy money.

A close-fitting reefer coat of navy blue serge which reached just below the waist. It was a style popular amongst seamen in sailing ships because it left the legs free for climbing. The description
monkey
was applied to anything small and included such items as wooden casks, pumps, blocks, even children. The boys who fetched and carried for the gun crews were known as powder monkies. There was also a small trading coaster in the 16th century which was known as a
monkey
.