Salty Dog Talk (7 page)

Lash up

Making headway

It is fitting that the word for this unpleasant sensation should have its origin in the sea. It comes from
naus
the Greek word for ship.

The word came into the language when the first canals or ‘navigations’ were built. These constructions required huge armies of workmen or ‘navvies’ and the men were a familiar sight in northern England throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. When the word first appeared in print somebody obviously took a conscious decision and added the extra
v
so the corruption should not be confused with
navies
.

In the old sailing warships anchor ropes (known as cables) were huge, as much as 8 inches in diameter and much too large to bend around the main capstan. Instead smaller endless ropes were used. These were led to the capstan and attached to the cable with
nipping
lines – so called because they nipped the ropes against the side of the cable and no awkward knots were required. Small boys were employed to do this work and inevitably they became kown as the nippers.

Most dictionaries agree that ‘cat’ was the short name for the cat of nine tails – nine lengths of line flayed out from a handle with which seamen were flogged. Since this required considerable arm movement there was clearly insufficient room to swing a cat below decks with clearance little more than 5½ feet. Equally important was the fact that below decks only a handful of the crew could stand witness, for flogging was very much an exemplary punishment.

The cat was also the name for a sailing collier common throughout northern Europe at one time. They were extremely handy vessels (
HMS Endeavour
, Captain Cook’s ship, was formerly a Northumberland cat), but they were also very small, just 600 tons; so it is possible that the expression ‘no room to swing a cat’ may have referred to the minuteness of a port or anchorage, meaning not room enough for this very small vessel to swing at anchor.

Another opinion is that cat is a corruption of cot which was the sailors name for his hammock.

Pleasant and welcome sounds nowadays connected with speech but once attributed to that distinctive sound of waves dancing and rattling against the wooden hull of a sailing vessel as she moves quickly through the water. It is especially noticeable in a sailing ship where no machinery noises would mask or interfere with the sound.

A situation in which progress is made, then lost. A ship was said to be
off and on
while sailing around waiting for daylight to enter a port. She would stand
on
towards the shore for a while then turn around and head out to sea for a safer
offing
. For those eager to get ashore at the end of a long voyage an off and on situation could be very frustrating, which is how the term came to be generally employed.

Imminent, near at hand. The word ‘offing’ refers to the distance the ship is
off
the shore. However, it has become accepted to mean a safe distance from the shore clear of all rocks and danger. A ship was said to have a good
offing
when she had cleared the land but was still well in sight.

Navvy

From the seamanship practice of spreading oil to calm the waves. It is frequently done in rescue or salvage work where a little vegetable oil spread from windward has a remarkable effect in modifying the seas and thus reducing the risk of accidents.

The name given to waterproof clothing of various manufacture although initially the sailor’s word for a long linen coat made waterproof (and mighty stiff) by habitual dressings of linseed oil.

A seaman without ship or employment is said to be ‘on the beach’. The term was associated with a stranded ship which was ‘beached’. Ashore the word is slowly coming to mean the same although the more familiar derivation is ‘beachcomber’. In seaman’s parlance this is scrounger.

At sea the word
make
means to increase or grow. A tide makes, a leaking ships makes water, a spur of land makes out from the coast, a vessel makes sail and a sea growing rougher is said to be
on the make
. There must be a connection with this and somebody feathering their nest but it is difficult to see what it is?

On the beach

Something new or in preparation. The
stocks
refer to the keel stocks or heavy baulks of timber which support the hull, while the ship is being built. Thus the term ‘on the stocks’ describes a ship that has passed the planning stage and is actually under construction.

A vessel intent on reaching a destination upwind has to sail a zig-zag course towards it. Each of these legs, called ‘tacks’ represents the best heading she can make against the wind. Invariably though the destination does not lie directly upwind and one tack takes the vessel closer to her goal than the other. Without careful navigation a vessel may keep on one tack longer than necessary and pass the critical point of change. From that moment on she is said to be ‘on the wrong tack’. Hence its present meaning of wrong policy or action; wrong approach to a situation.

Collective term for gear or equipment required for a ship being made ready or
fit
for sea. The preparation period known as ‘fitting out’. The word outfit has gradually come to include clothes worn for a special purpose.

I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy,

You see by my outfit that I’m a cowboy

You can tell by our outfits that we are all cowboys,

If you get an an outfit you can be a cowboy too!

Smuthers Brothers spoof on
The Streets of Lorado
.

The totally unexpected. Short for ‘out of a clear blue sky’ and is an analogy to a sudden change in the weather when, from a good breeze under a cloud dappled blue sky, a demon squall can appear and wreak havoc on the ship. Probably the best documented example of this was in the spring of 1878 when
HMS Eurydice
was on the last few miles of her journey home to Portsmouth from Bermuda. The day was calm the weather was sunny, all sails were set, all ports and windows were open and all men on duty were relaxing on deck. Then without warning a dark cloud appeared, a squall struck and
Eurydice
went down with 368 men. Within half an hour the weather was perfect again.

It comes from the Royal Navy practice of tying men to be flogged over a gun barrel. Secured like this they could not move. Sailors themselves referred to this punishment as being ‘married to a gunner’s daughter’. Thus its meaning of being placed or placing someone else in a predicament from which there is no escape.

Originally the word meant to feed the slack rope back through a set of pulley blocks. You hauled on a block and tackle and when the two blocks met you
over
hauled the ropes to start again. The word came into general use when the buntlines, which were long lengths of rope used for furling the sails, had to be pulled back through their blocks or else they would hang in great loops and chafe against the sails. The crew were sent aloft to
overhaul
the buntlines. Gradually the word came to include the inspection and repair of any part of the rigging and finally all the ship’s gear. Since then it has come ashore.

The word reach has several meanings; a straight stretch of river is a
reach
; to sail with the wind free is to sail on a
reach
; a vessel which overtakes another is said to
reach
past her; while a ship held steady with some sails aback will be inclined to fore
reach
. Over
reach
, which means to fail by being too clever, describes a vessel trying to reach an upwind destination but which has held one tack too long. This time it has taken her past her destination and she is said to have overreached, in other words she has to retrace her steps.

Literally to pay the crew their wages at the end of a voyage. Since voyages often lasted several years the amounts were comparatively large and this coupled with the release from the long engagement plus the prospect of leave gave the pay off a Christmas atmosphere. Ashore this innocence has gone, the term still has a rewarding ring, a large sum of money, a handsome return, but with curiously criminal undertones.

Once exclusively used in marine insurance and salvage where it described a ship which had piled on top of the rocks. Now applied to multi-vehicle accident for navigators on four wheels.

In naval ships orders are given and recognised by the individual pattern of notes piped on a whistle – known as the boatswain’s call. ‘Pipe down’ is the last pipe of the day and is the order for unwanted lights to be switched out, unnecessary noise and activity to stop, so that men preparing for night watches can sleep. The term has been adopted by sailors and is used when they want someone to stop talking or making a nuisance of themselves.

Refers to a method of navigation which assumes, over short distances, that the earth is flat. In other words the difference of longitude between the two positions is taken to be the same as the departure or actual mileage. This makes computations very much simpler. Originally
plane
sailing referred to workings on the
plane
charts of the 16th century which confidently knew the earth was flat.

Comes from the devasting effect of a huge wave breaking over the stern or
poop
deck of the ship. Such seas could often flood even sink a ship, stoving in companionways and hatches. Yachts can be pooped while running before a big sea. It is now used as a slang term for being crushed, exhausted or satiated.

It is said that the letters P.O.S.H. were printed on the tickets of 1st class passengers travelling to and from India in the days of British rule. There is no evidence to support this although the term was current and comes from the practice of wealthy passengers booking a cabin on the port side of the ship outward bound, a starboard side cabin when coming home, which in each case was the cooler side of the ship away from the glare of the sun. The word posh stood for Port Out, Starboard Home.