We owe a lot of credit to mariners and the Language Of The Sea for a lot of phrases we take for granted. Here are some for your enjoyment
In early sailing days ships sailed with with wind. So, downwind on a Square Rigger was at the bow. Needless to say, the toilet facilities were primitive and rather smelly so it was important they be downwind. Hence, the phrase "going to the head".
Bristol England was one of the major commercial ports, and located
on that were four brass mooring Bollards (those mushroom sort of things
that we tie to) called Nails. You put your "money on the nail"
to buy your goods. There was no such thing as credit!
If you say the "coast is clear" you are really saying it
is a safe mapped coastline, safe to sail.
If you had to leave in a hurry you cut your moreage lines (or anchor)
and took off. So, the term "Cut and Run". explained your hasty
departure.
The old rations on sailing boats consisted of a lot of salt pork.
It required a lot of chewing, which looked to all that considerable talk
was being done, where in fact they were just "chewing the fat".
History would like us to think that even the word Government comes
from the sea as the fellow on the Helm (who made the decisions for boat
direction) was called the "gubernator" or "Governor".
Navy rum was called Grog. The phrase of "splicing the mainbrace"
has over the years came to mean the drink of grog, but, if you wake up "Groggy"
you have drunk too much.
When you "knock off work" you are following the orders of
the fellow who set the beat for slaves on galleys. He sounded a special
knock to signify rest breaks or changes of shiftts.
A lot of phrases have to do with a seaman's ability. You could "know
the ropes" or if you were adept at money you could be making it like
sailors climbed ropes "hand over fist". Cheap owners refused to
equip boats with good ropes, so they had to be tied together when broken
or worn. Or, to "make ends meet".
Us Canadians even contributed to the language. A famous rum runner
was a Canadian named Bill McCoy, who refused to dilute his smuggled rum.
Hence, the pure stuff was "the real McCoy".
A "Round Robin" was a shipboard petition where all the names
were signed in a circular pattern. It was impossible to see who started
the petition.
The first ship back to port made the greatest profit. So of course
and owner whose "ship has come in" was indeed fortunate.
We are aware that the captain on a ship could perform marriages. Well,
my research shows that this was necessary as sailors were not allowed on
shore when the ship docked (a lot were never seen again). So, married sailors
were allowed visits on board by wives. Needless to say, a lot of rather
hasty marriages were performed in each port. But, it was also a fact that
ladies snuck on board ships in the evenings where sailors would sling hammocks
over the guns. A child concieved at this place was a "son of a gun"
Ships were planked, and required a lot of maintenance. The exact plank
at the waterline was called the "Devil Seam". The action of calking
(or feeding out rope) was also called paying, so we have the phrase "the
devil to pay" As well the work was done by bosun's chairs slung over
the side where the sailor was often "between the devil and the deep
blue sea"
As a pilot I did a lot of "touch and go" landing practises.
But the actual technique had to do with sailing in uncharted water where
the vessel would be allowed to carefully touch an obstacle (or bottom) and
go on.
The barrel was refered to a lot. When flogged the sailors were often
lashed "over the barrel". When provisions were low the cook had
to really "scrape the barrel". And like the cash on the nail,
a lot of deals were made around a barrel. The buyer had to put his "cash
on the barrel". These deals were also done on the deck, so were said
to be "above board" where everyone could see they were honest.
The phrase "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey" is fairly common in cold climates. But it refers to a brass rack that held the cannon balls. It was sort of shaped like a monkey's tail. Well, brass contracts much more than iron, so in cold weather contracton would cause the balls to be squeezed off. Also when the brass got cold it often got brittle. The weight of the balls caused them to break, with the same result.
Got Posh accommodations? A reader reminds me that when cruising from England the landward and southern facing cabins were the most desireable. So, one could get one's ticket stamped "POSH" meaning Port Outbound, Starboard Home". That guaranteed the best side of the boat.
A lot of phrases refer to the sails. To be "footloose" had
to do with the sail not being fully fastened. To "let fly" had
to do with releasing the sails. The "mainstay" was the main (and
most imortant) shroud on the mast.
The Dutch have contributed a lot of names to sailboats. Specifically in the names for rigging. A boat might move away from the rest of the boats to gain wind. It would go through a luff (te loef) and head back to windward when clear. Or be "aloof" from the rest of the fleet. BTW, the word Yacht comes from the Dutch word "Jacht".
Mentioned earlier was McCoy, but other names have come into use. Sir John Wallop wreaked revenge on the French for a raid on and English town. He really "whalloped" them. In general, "limeys" were British sailors, so named because the British Admiralty ordered lime juice to be given to the sailors to prevent scurvey.
And finally, the old custom of hanging around the water cooler may even have started with sailors. the water keg on a vessel was called the "butt". It was scuttled with a hole to prevent it from overfilling. So, they passed gossip or "scuttlebutt". Also a ship was "Scuttled" by deliberately holing it and sinking it.
OK, one more then I will "pipe down". At the end of the day, the bosun's mate sounded his last whistle call for the day to tell the crew to shut up and go to bed!