What's poopy about a poop deck? | NAUTICAL ETYMOLOGY

[@WordsUnravelled]

Rob here! Two things: 1) I suggested the poop deck was at the bow of the ship. It's at the stern. 2) I keep saying "boat" when naval types will point out it should be "ship". Apologies. Three strikes, and I be walking the plank.

[@AhoyGame]

Funnily enough, the crew would stick their booties over the bow to poop into the sea. No connection at all to the poopdeck, or any toilet paper sheets to the wind, but a fun fact 😂

[@WordsUnravelled]

@@AhoyGame Good tip for the next time I'm on the Channel ferry. R

[@HughCStevenson1]

Getting "pooped" on an old ship was to have a wave from a following sea crash onto the poop deck and sometimes flood the ship...

[@steeveletur1983]

In French there's a similar word: poupe referring to the back of the ship. The front is called the proue.

[@flamencoprof]

@@steeveletur1983 English "prow".

[@popeye2sea]

Poop deck is the rearmost deck on a ship. It derives from the French word poupe meaning stern. The poop rail is the railing at the front of that deck. The poop lantern is the lantern hung at the back of the ship. The poop ladder is the stairs leading up to that deck. Getting pooped means a following sea is breaking over the stern of the ship; a very undesirable condition to be in. A poop ornament is a decoration on the taffrail at the stern in the vicinity of the poop deck. What Rob was referring to is called the ships head, at the bow or the front of the ship. It takes it's name for the head timbers which make up the structure of the bow. His confusion comes from the fact that this was also the location of the 'seats of ease' that were the toilet facilities for the crew. To this day the toilets on a ship are called the head.

[@jimprice1959]

The raised part at the front of the ship is the "fore castle," or in nautical terms fo'c'sle.

[@rezzer7918]

Now THAT makes sense! Thanks. . and c'mon Rob! Good God!

[@MrGBrooks9]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poop_deck. #

[@wayneyadams]

Plus, you don't want sailors pooping off the bow where the ship will sail into it. LOL

[@joknaepkens]

In (Flemish) Dutch 'poep' , pronounced the same as the English or French equivalent, means your butt, so there's definitely a pattern here ^^ In the Netherlands poep means shit (feces), as it does in English. Fun fact: Although the Flemish and the dutch speak the same language: 'poepen' in Flanders means having sex while in the Netherlands it means taking a dump. Cross-border dating is tricky ^^

[@e1e2t3]

These two have to be among the most charming and likable people on the Interwebs!

[@guyosborn615]

Yes! And I love the way they are faintly and old-fashioned in their embarrassment talking about slightly rude words - refreshing in this Age without shame.

[@jerrymichaels8447]

Exactly! They double each other's charm. Plus what a fun fact to learn that Rob and Tom Scott, another of my favorite KZbinrs, were schoolmates.

[@cdouglashall]

I just posted my second long-winded comment trying to say this very thing. Well said. Thank you! And obviously I completely concur!

[@DanKnowlson]

They've a lovely chemistry together that really brings the videos to life

[@RobertStoddard]

My favorite is "leeway" -- the allowance a navigator must make because the wind will push the boat off its point of sail towards the leeward (downwind) side. Thus you must set a point of sail more upwind to actually hit your mark, and the correction you make to your point of sail is called leeway.

[@enscroggs]

And every sailing ship has its own leeway, even though built to the same design.

[@TerryD15]

The keel, as well as providing ballast to keep a sailing boat upright, is also intended to reduce the amount of leeway, a smaller yacht or dinghy would have and adjustable one such as a dagger board or swinging keel which can be retracted or adjusted to a minimum in order to reduce the forward drag when running before the wind, or tacking in light airs or lowered fully to reduce leeway.

[@jonathanwetherell3609]

@@TerryD15 Barges and older sailing boats would have a leeboard, something coming back into fashion on high performance boats. They have asymetric lee boards.

[@TerryD15]

@@jonathanwetherell3609 Thanks for the information. I've not kept up with sailing technology since I had a serious back injury quite a few years ago.

[@jonathanwetherell3609]

@@TerryD15 Have a look at the Americas Cup boats. Balancing on a lee board and two rudder foils at 50 knots.

[@scattygirl1]

These two work so well together- lovely conversation.

[@ianhadley492]

There are so many more ... Three square meals a day - British sailors ate their meals off square wooden trays. Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey - cannon balls were stored on brass monkeys, brass and iron contract at different rates as the temperature drops. Flotsam and Jetsam - Flotsam: debris from a shipwreck Jetsam: debris deliberately jettisoned. In the Doldrums - the area of sea close to the equator where often the wind is lacking -ships are often "be stilled". Pipe down - Signal from the boson's pipe for the sailors to retire below decks to their hammocks.

[@Nastyswimmer]

The "brass monkeys" bit has been debunked. "square meals" possibly debunked too.

[@finndriver1063]

Brass monkey likely does not derive from this, the wikipedia page has a section. It instead probably came from literal small brass monkey ornaments that were popular souvenirs in the 19c/20c. Square simply has an old meaning of even or solid. It's just like saying 'a good meal'; nothing to do with tray shapes. Jetsam is a nice one because it comes from the same origin as 'jettison', meaning to throw overboard. 'In the doldrums' meant being in a slump before it pertained to sailing. Deriving from 'dull', it just means that spirits are low and there is nothing exciting happening, and then a misunderstanding probably led to people misinterpreting windless areas as being 'the Doldrums'.

[@kh23797]

@ianhadley492 ... I suffered a similar fate here last time... Years ago, pre-web, many urban myths had fact status. A 1960s book confidently asured me newspapers originally had N, E, W and S printed on the page margins like compass points. Maybe someone did that as a gimmick, but it wasn't the origin. Confident but erroneous word origins abounded--and we believed them. With more scholarship brought to bear, old assumptions teeter and fall. I'm scared to quote anything definitively. Even Robb often starts these comments with a correcting paragraph. Like good scientists, we have to bough to new findings and abandon our old theories.

[@uesbob]

The devil to pay .. .. Longest seam in the keel of a boat is the devil. Pay comes from pitch -- to put pitch and oakum in the seams.

[@Nastyswimmer]

@@uesbob Not quite - the devil was the seam between the edge of the deck and the hull (hence also "between the devil and the deep blue sea"). Wooden hulls flexed a lot so the caulking in the devil would work loose and need replacing frequently. The full saying is "the devil to pay and only half a bucket of tar.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

A nautical term in wide common use is "aboveboard," which means 'honest." It's from the practice of pirate crews hiding below the gunwales (sideboards) of their ship as they approached another ship to maintain the advantage of surprise. Law-abiding crews had no reason to conceal themselves when in view of another ship; they were all "aboveboard."

[@geraldarcuri9307]

Men of warships often hid much of their crews below deck as part of a deception to appear as a merchantman and not a military vessel.

[@MKei-nr5tl]

Speaking as a tall ship sailor, the 'a' prefix means 'happening right now', so if you go aloft, you are going up right now. Because captains do not accept it if you dally. That immediate meaning then gets extended to non-temporal meanings, so we can speak about 'aloft and alow' meaning 'everything.' 'Avast' may be misused by pirate fans, but 'avast' is a very real and important safety word today. "Avast' means '"Stop! But don't let go!" So when we're hauling the lines and something goes wrong, somebody yells 'Avast' and we all freeze.' If you let go, 3000 pounds of sail and spar are going to come hurtling down. So Avast really means something like 'Freeze'. The word 'corsair' some from 'coursing,' meaning hunting. Corsair vessels were hunter vessels. NOoo! The 'poop' is at the rear of the ship. It comes from Latin puppis, and refers to the pupae, the religious symbols that were kept on the altar of a Roman vessel, which was located at the stern of the vessel.

[@ScotCampbell]

My mother was born and raised in Alberta, Canada in the 1920s. When I was young, she used to call me a Scallywag when I was doing something impish. I don't recall hearing the word since my childhood. Thanks for brining back some fond memories!

[@doratheexplorer1184]

In Ireland, scallywag was/is often used for naughty/mischievous children. I would tell my dogs they were a scallywag for naughty/mischievous behaviour. I definitely heard/used the word a lot here. I honestly thought it was an Irish thing.

[@ScotCampbell]

@@doratheexplorer1184 Well, my mother's family came from Ireland to Canada in 1820, so that's probably how she learned it.

[@hfjjor3681]

@@doratheexplorer1184 and I thought it was a synonym for whippersnapper. 😅

[@JulieEnglert-cj1hv]

@@doratheexplorer1184We still use scallywag in the same context in Australia 👍

[@pd4165]

'Scallies' is a widely used derogatory word for, usually, feral teens in the UK. It is definitely a contraction of scallywag (which was the gandma's favourite for an individual, quite ofen endearing - now rarely used).

[@paulgracey4697]

You left out the Head. Sailors going to the head, were going to the most forward part of the ship to relieve themselves. The poop is the deck above a cabin, which is generally at the rear. A quick Google search says it comes from the French La Poupe or stern. Another cabin on old ships was in the crews quarters in the forecastle (pronounced foc'sle and is all the way forward. To go to the head is to climb over the foc'sle into the chains where flushing sprays of seawater are quite regularly experienced. Bear in mind there was no toilet paper in those days:)

[@colinp2238]

The forecastle is from the medieval times when the front of the ship was like a Fort where the sailors would fight. Look at old engravings of medieval ships and it is obvious.

[@Siansonea]

The word _foc's'le_ actually is a rare contraction with two apostrophes.

[@azoic6]

Coincidentally, the head is where I go to think!

[@colinp2238]

@@azoic6 Think or stink or both?

[@grahamcuthbert783]

Hope there was some soap and a towel!!

[@lizardofoz4954]

In Spanish a 'corsario' is someone who carried a 'patente de corso', which is the letter that showed they had authorization to act as a privateer. In English I think the 'patente de corso' is called a called 'letter of marque'

[@ahwhite2022]

I really thought they'd go there... they never really addressed that term, merely mentioned it.

[@OlliWilkman]

Seems both "corsair" and "patente de corso" come originally from Latin "cursus" meaning course (among other things), which gave "cursarius" meaning a pirate. That went on to French as "corsaire", which was borrowed into English. The name of the island of Corsica is probably unrelated.

[@bobwhite459]

Strictly speaking they were "Letters of Marque and Reprisal"

[@PythagorasHyperborea]

“Avast” can be like “stop and listen.” Like “attention!”

[@ahwhite2022]

@@PythagorasHyperborea interesting... if so, could be an example of that linguistic situation where people try to make sense of legacy words they don't otherwise understand. In this case, I could easily see sailors familiar with Spanish adopting such a term whose Dutch origins were all but lost to history to such a broader use. Avast. Avis. Aviso. Not much of a stretch there at all, and lots of bleedover among Dutch, English, and Spanish in the nautical world probably more so when you start talking international crews in less... legitimate... professions.

[@tomray8765]

The POOP DECK is the deck at the STERN of the ship. The deck in the front is the fo'castle (Fore Castle) the elevated portion of the deck at the bow.

[@derekclements5682]

Originally Fore castle and after castle as mediaeval ships built like castles so bowmen could shoot down.

[@oceanaxim]

On a ship, the toilet is called a "head" because it is at the head of the ship where the ship's crew would be and there would often be a place to pee there. The "poop deck" is one of the lower main decks near the stern where they would empty the poop buckets over the side. If the "poop deck" was at the head of the ship, the poop would leave "skid marks" along the side of the ship.

[@RonfromAmaireeka]

The term "poop deck" comes from the French word la poupe, which means "stern" and comes from the Latin word puppis. In sailing ships, the poop deck was usually the elevated roof of the stern or "after" cabin, also known as the "poop cabin" or simply the poop. Poop decks were mainly found on ships during the Age of Sail and were located in the rear superstructure of the ship

[@garywaddell1343]

@@oceanaxim Not the case. See the next comment.

[@pd4165]

@@oceanaxim NOT a lower deck. It was the highest, the roof over the stern cabin. Poop buckets would not be emptied from there - chamber pots might be emptied from windows, or thrown over the side, but most of the excrement came from the 'heads' - right at the bow of the ship and well away from the officers quarters under the poop deck. As for 'skid marks' - yeah, maybe there would be (but wave action will sort those out) but that would be at the bow (under the heads) not down the sides of the ship. If the officers didn't like something then the ship's boys would be ordered to clean up. But there was no such thing as a 'poop bucket' - poop was a word used by infants, adults took a shit and faecal matter was sometimes known as turd (you don't go for a turd). Poop is a relative newcomer as a popular term for excrement, emanating from the USA, where 'I'm pooped' was a popular term for being tired. In the UK poop is still not as popular as 'poo' - poop being a very recent (ie in the last five years) import due to the internet and streamed entertainment from the states.

[@R08Tam]

Hilarious watching Rob blush as he explained the current meaning of "to roger".

[@georgefrench1907]

He also blushed at “booty.”

[@SimonWillig]

@@georgefrench1907 Rob starts blushing as soon as he sees Jess 😍

[@DevonRex116]

​@@georgefrench1907 Before the rude meaning of the word was even raised too!

[@pd4165]

@@DevonRex116 If a rogering isn't rude then you aren't doing it right!

[@DevonRex116]

@@pd4165 🤣

[@JohnSmith-dt1tw]

Saying you went to uni with Tom Scott is an excellent namedrop!

[@georgegay4750]

Pirate ships flying a red flag struck particular fear in the hearts of sailors because pirates sailing under the red flag were known to slaughter the sailors of the ships they took, rather than maroon them on an island or set them adrift. These pirates were said to be flying the "Jolie Rouge," a French expression that translates as the "Beautiful Red" (flag), whence the term "Jolly Roger" is derived. Eventually, all pirate flags came to be called the Jolly Roger.

[@HarryWHill-GA]

Rob, as a retired naval officer, I would like to extend an invitation to join C.A.N.O.E (Committee to Ascribe a Nautical Origin to Everything). Fore, aft, ahead, astern, & abeam are directions. Bow, stern, & amidships are places. Left, Red, & Port all have fewer letters than Right, Green, & Starboard. There have been two Union Jacks. The first Union Jack was the current Union Flag (jack) minus the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick. It was in use 1606 to 1801. The second Union Jack is the current national flag of the United Kingdom. The primary difference between a pirate and a privateer is that a privateer has been issued a "Letter of Marque and Reprisal" by their government. Unlike piracy, being a Privateer was considered and honorable and patriotic occupation. More specifically the bitter end is the end of the anchor chain or cable that is attached to the ship.

[@christopherpardell4418]

There’s no HOLE you load things thru on the port side of a ship. The holes are on TOP, called Hatches. Port refers to the side facing the wharf or the port. Back in the days of steering boards, you did not put that side against the wharf because it might get damaged banging against it due to waves or tides. Also, What we call “fenders”on a car originated as the cushions you place between the hull and the wharf to prevent damage to the sides of the ship. They are there to “fend off” any contact between the two. And the term ‘porthole’ has an entirely different derivation having nothing to do with either side of the ship, but is derivative of portal. Technically, a porthole is supposed to be large enough in diameter for a sailor to fit thru if he absolutely has to. That is one reason why they open fully like they do.

[@euansb7752]

There's a rich tradition of 'Jackspeak' - sailor slang - in the UK. One that's always stuck with me is the expression 'getting off at Fratton'. Fratton is the last train station before Portsmouth Docks and the phrase is a euphemism for Coitus Interruptus.

[@pd4165]

Fratton Park? Where the shit football is played? I could see why that'd be a passion killer.

[@saltybuster946]

Done both in my time in the mob

[@nickmiller76]

Actually 'Portsmouth and Southsea' is the station before 'Portsmouth Harbour', to use the correct name. 'Fratton' is the one before 'Portsmouth and Southsea', but I get your drift.

[@saltybuster946]

@@nickmiller76 Well up until the turn of the century we would enter the base through unicorn gate and therefore get off at Portsmouth and Southsea, so fraction was the one before

[@Eric_Hunt194]

There are (sometimes non-nautical) versions of that terminology all over the UK. Liverpool has "getting off at Edge Hill" (the last stop before Lime Street).

[@plateoshrimp9685]

Doing the parrot voice was the right choice in my opinion.

[@rogerstone3068]

So are parrot and pirate cognate?

[@manfredconnor3194]

​@@rogerstone3068 Anyone owning a parrot might think so! 😂😅

[@MrChimba66]

when i was younger i was in the coast guard. we used the term head for toilet. i was told by older sailors that head meant bow, because when power came from sails the wind tended to come from aft, so your excrement would be blown away

[@TravelsWithBert]

Living in Malaysia some years ago, a passenger in my car told me to "gostan." I asked him what that meant in English and he somewhat indignantly said "that is English." It's a shortened version of go astern - a phrase which Malaysians always use instead of go backwards. [paul]

[@WaterShowsProd]

That's interesting. A friend of mine from Myanmar was learning English from a Burmese teacher, here in Bangkok. One day she asked me if "overmorrow" was a real world. I was about to say no, but decided to do a quick search, and discovered that it's a word that hasn't been published in English Dictionaries since 1914 as it had fallen out of favour. It comes from the German Ubermorgen, and, quite logically, means "the day after tomorrow". I found it interesting that this fossil word had survived from the former empire. No doubt Malaysia has some similar words that survived. I've been trying to get people to revive "overmorrow" as we never replaced it with a single word.

[@hfjjor3681]

In the US, we say “back up” in that situation. Is that the term that’s also used in the UK?

[@ellentronicmistress4969]

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but the word 'leeway' meaning to give someone a certain amount of freedom, apparantly comes from the nautical term 'leeway' meaning heo drift of a ship away from the wind, or leeward.

[@jamesfetherston1190]

A ton of nautical terms - especially parts of boats and sails, types of boats as well of features around shipping and shorelines come from the Dutch: keel, shore, jib, ketch, bow, yacht, schooner, aboard, sail, avast, berm, boom, frigate, leak, pump, rudder, scow, maelstrom, ship, skipper, freight, captain, buoy, plug, bulwark,

[@DrakeN-ow1im]

"Three sheets to the wind" when one of the sails of a four armed windmill is loosed and the whole of the timber built edifice wobbles from the lack of symmetry.

[@Michelle-Eden]

Yes, that's correct, but such disasters only happen when the miller is drunk.

[@DrakeN-ow1im]

@@Michelle-Eden ...or when a strong wind has ripped the 'sheet' off the frame.

[@hfjjor3681]

And here I thought that term came from the sport of curling. 😅

[@DopeSauceBenevolence]

Rob we still say “toe the line” in the military today - usually at 4am when you just want to sleep.

[@WordsUnravelled]

Cool!

[@ahwhite2022]

Happy to hear it's still in use today. I recall it well from the 1980s, but most of what I recall from the era is ancient history today. The equipment is pretty much all just in museums, and sometimes I think I should be.

[@ScottLuvsRenFaires]

Re: Americans referring to a quarter dollar as 'two bits', there used to be a common cheer at sporting events (usually American football) that went: Two bits Four bits Six bits A dollar. All for the 'home team' stand up and holler! Also, you might remember that Roger Rabbit was coaxed out of hiding by tapping the 'Shave and-a-haircut, two bits' rhythm on the wall.

[@pd4165]

The 'shave and a haircut' part is fairly universal in the English speaking world - the following two words would be local (or the entire thing, it's a worldwide phenomenom). Until recently the US was the only English speaking country using $ so 'bits' was local to there. 'Empire' English would frequently use 'no legs' - a grim reminder that surgeons were barbers in their spare time (they had all the sharp tools already).

[@1lightheaded]

Sinse a dollar was originaly a Thaller minted from silver that could be cut into eight pieces. Pieces of Eight .It was a Marie Teresa Thallel minted from a mine in the same valley ( Thaller ) that they found Neanderthals Now thats off the top of my head and i may have got that arsebackwards

[@KCMoe]

Well, "Boy Howdy!', I've finally found my people. Having such a fun and informative vehicle for etymology makes me as happy as a gopher in soft dirt. Thank you both for your time, effort, and energy devoted to Words Unravelled.

[@mrthingy9072]

You definitely sound like you're in tall cotton.

[@Tram235]

Cat out of the bag refers to removing the cat o’ nine tails before flogging. 12:45

[@rogermiller2159]

Yikes

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

I read it refers to opening a bag expecting a pig bought from market and discovering it is a (less desirable) cat instead. "Let the cat out of the bag" means to reveal a secret or deception.

[@Michelle-Eden]

@@CliffSedge-nu5fv I bought a pig in a poke, but my husband let the cat out of the bag and beat me with it nine times.

[@MediaWML]

And I heard that the phrase "has the cat got your tongue?" means to be unable to talk whilst on the receiving end of the cat o’ nine tails, though not necessarily a naval-only term.

[@meme2287]

'No room to swing a cat' refers to the cat 'o nine tails, which was the whip with nine strands used to flog sailors as punishment.

[@amym.4823]

It was fascinating to see how many different shades of red Rob's face can take on.☺️

[@rosebrown5156]

Came here to comment the same 😂

[@davidbradshaw1203]

Dear Rob and Jess, That was most enjoyable. As a lapsed amateur sailor and lifelong pedant, I offer the following. There are two bows on a ship or boat, port and starboard. They are the metaphorical shoulders of the vessel. One can stand in the bows of the ship but there is no such thing as the bow. There is however a stem and a prow. The ship's toilet is called the heads, not the head. Probably derived from the forward projecting heads (or ends) of the longitudinal hull beams, forward of the prow. A refreshing and hygienic place to "crimp off a length", offering a natural bidet effect in choppy seas but not for the faint-hearted in rough weather. Aft is an adverb, as is forward (pron. forrad). One might move or look aft or forward but the adjectives are after and fore, as in fore hatch and after deck (and see poop). Sadly I have advanced and lost this argument several times in my career as an aerospace engineer when for example, my nomenclature of "after galley" has been rejected in favour of the newspeak "aft galley". It makes my blood boil. There are many nautical terms used in aviation. Modern leisure sailors frequently use the term "to be pooped" when a following breaking wave (and cf. French "vague") fills their cockpit with green water. I don't think "port" has anything to do with cutting holes in the side of one's vessel (that is the enemy's job). In common modern usage is the phrase "port side" as in "We'll come alongside (the quay) port side to.". Occam's razor insists that this is the derivation. Coming alongside a stone quay steer-board side would risk expensive damage. The union jack is the union flag flown from the jack staff of one of His Majesty's vessels. Athwartships is indeed a lovely word and means across the ship. The plank upon which one rests one booty whilst rowing a dinghy is known as a thwart. The bitts in timber vessels are a stout pair of posts in the bows to which the end of an anchor or mooring rode is attached. Hence to reach the bitter end was to have used all of your available mooring cable/rode/warp/chain: indicative of a precarious situation with no further options. A sheet is a line (rope is the material, line refers to the function) used to control the leeward (pron. loo-ard) side of a sail, pulling it to the correct angle to the wind. A square sail would have a line attached to each bottom corner. When attempting to make to windward, the one on the leeward side would act as the sheet. If the vessel (perhaps with the crew under a Bacchanalian influence) inadvertently went about (tacked or gybed) and the lines previously known as sheets were not released in favour of their athwartships counterparts, the sails would go aback, leading to loss of way and possible damage to sails and rigging. Hence the phrase "sheets to the wind". BTW one definition of a ship is a vessel with three masts. Shiver, sliver and maybe splinter: from the same root do you think? A book which I am certain you would enjoy is "The Boat-owner's Practical Dictionary" by Denny Desoutter the founding editor of Practical Boat Owner magazine. Interestingly, he anglicised his name from his native French Denis, presumably to appeal to the linguaphobic British market. Good luck in finding a copy. Many thanks for all you do. Best regards and good evening, Dave.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

I'm going to disagree with you on bow and head. Both are used in the U.S. Navy to mean, the forward most part of the ship and the ships toilet respectively. I have heard the word prow but not in typical use in the U.S. Navy. Of course other navies and other types of sailors will use the language differently. So not trying to start an argument. I'm just pointing out that the language is malleable.

[@davidbradshaw1203]

@@indetigersscifireview4360 Indeed, languages continually evolve and diverge like Darwinian species. American vs. British English is a case in point, in usage, pronounciation and spelling. Vive la difference! I have no military naval background but I speak British English. I imagine though that Royal Navy sailors visiting an American warship would still refer to your head as the heads and your bow as the bows. Are there any RN chaps out there reading this that can corroborate this? Best regards and wishing you fair winds from the other side of the Atlantic. Dave.

[@siener]

My favorite unexpectedly nautical etymology is the Afrikaans word for kitchen, kombuis. It's the Dutch word for galley. The theory is that Europeans who learned Dutch on ships on their way to Cape Town came to know the place where the food is made as the "kombuis", so they started using it as the word for kitchen.

[@WordsUnravelled]

Fantastic! Thanks for this.

[@WayneKitching]

I'd love for @RobWords to try to pronounce "kombuis."

[@sprrwprnts]

Russian nautical terms are predominantly of Dutch origin bc Peter the Great learned seafaring in the Netherlands. Kombuis in the form of 'kambuz' is widely used in the contemporary Russian.

[@beenaplumber8379]

Kombuis reminds me of words like commissary, comestible, the Spanish word "comer" (appetite), cuisine, and combo platter. (Just kidding about that last one. 😛)

[@janhengst4648]

It's also suggested as the origin of caboose, originally a train carriage which had a stove an later gained an extension to be able to see the whole train.

[@ianchristian7949]

Every time Rob says boat when he means ship hundreds of sailors are shouting at the screen!

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

Ahem, slang.

[@strangerdanger8462]

I think that's standard talk for sailors. I even once heard a naval officer refer to a sub as a boat😂

[@wilsonfamily1762]

a ship needs 3 masts... else it's a boat.

[@docclabo6350]

@@wilsonfamily1762 No, else it is a brig, brigantine, bark/barque, barkentine/barquentine, schooner, et cetera, et cetera. Incidentally, a ship must also be square-rigged. In modern parlance, a ship is a large commercial or military vessel. The term "ship" no more applies to a square rigger, in this day and age, than "frigate" or "sloop" do.

[@BjorckBengt]

@@docclabo6350 A ship is at least 24 meters of length. However a U-boat is always a boat.

[@TullyViewer]

Port also means "carry" or "transport", so we're back to "loading side".

[@ahwhite2022]

Porter. Portage. Portable.

[@simonmoorcroft1417]

Strictly speaking 'porter' and 'port' derives from the Latin 'portus' meaning a 'doorway'. It then came into French language and into English via the Normans. A porter was originally a slave that guarded the doorway of a villa and accepted arriving goods. Thus a sea port is a 'doorway to the sea'. Up until the early 1800's British and English-speaking mariners would call the left side of a vessel the 'larboard' and the right side of the vessel the starboard. This derives from the Old Norse 'Lackboard' and 'Steerboard'. Because the steering oar was traditional placed on the right side and the left side 'lacked' one. 'Port' did not come into common nautical use until the late 1700' or early 1800's. I suspect this is because large vessels by this time were commonly equipped with an 'entry port' or doorway in the hull at the main deck level that made boarding the vessel easier for women and civilians in general. Certainly it was expected that true 'Jack tars' would climb the side to the upper bulwark rather than use the 'port' which was reserved for 'land lubbers' , Ladies and Admirals. Tradition meant that the left side of vessel was set to the dock or landward. Thus the 'entry port' was always on the left. This entry port is clearly visible on HMS Victory in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard. ' So 'Port' only came into common use to mean 'left' in the 1800's and is probably linked to the very large high-sided Warships and 'Indiamen' of the period and the frequent passenger transports between the UK and India in the post-Napoleonic War expansion of the British Empire.

[@Michelle-Eden]

Port is passed to the left, and Starbucks is passed in the mall.

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

As in portage, specifically meaning to take a boat out of the water of a river when it becomes too rough, then carry it to a place where the river is calm.

[@MrGBrooks9]

I thought for sure he was going to discuss why a ship's toilet used to always be at the front of sailing ships: a ship's bow was the most downwind ... so relieving one's self downwind was the best way of avoiding "blow back"... or to avoid a tainted wind soiling the rest of the ship.

[@BlaiddLove]

Scupper! The holes in the side rails that allow water to drain from the deck are called Scuppers. They can be blocked with Scupper plates to keep fish or small children from falling off the deck. To Scupper means to spoil something or discard something.

[@ChefSpinney]

So one of the defining features of a buccaneer compared to other 'pirates' was their land tactics and raids on forts, which were largely abandoned later in the 'Golden Age of Piracy'. Morgan is an excellent example of this with his raids in Panama, although many other exist. Privateers were generally provided with 'Letters of Marque' that gave them legal authority to attack foreign trade by a legitimate government. There's plenty of overlap, but land based attacks are the main thing that defines a buccaneer. The reference to roasting comes from how they would cook while traveling on missions to minimize detection from light and smoke, which they took a preference to while in port thus distinguishing them.

[@enscroggs]

5:21 I favor the theory that port for left comes from the side of the ship that's next to the dock. One can grasp the logic by studying the details of Viking ships, which survive today thanks to ship burials from the 8th century. The rudder or "steer board" of a Viking ship is attached to the hull by way of a cunningly crafted ball-and-socket joint carved entirely from wood. It's obvious that the rudder was both vital and expensive. The ship was uncontrollable without it, and not everyone had the skill and tools to construct it. Compared to the hull the steer-board was fragile. It needed to be protected. Consequently, no Viking captain worthy of the rank would tie up his ship so that the steer-board could impact the pier. Thus the left side of the ship was the side always next to the pier when docked. Port as in "door" doesn't make sense as a name for the left side of a ship because early vessels like Viking ships had no doors or portholes. To load or unload the ship, just step over the gunnels.

[@hfjjor3681]

I wonder if it comes from the word “portage” which means to carry something - like “lug” and “luggage”. Both words sound like they come from French.

[@oceanaxim]

...additionally, I remember which side is starboard which is most people's stronger arm for steering, so starboard is the right hand side when facing the bow of a ship.

[@hfjjor3681]

@@oceanaxim the way I remember starboard is by imagining a ship coming in at night and unloading on the left side at the port whereas on the other side, it’s facing the stars out at sea.

[@lizj5740]

@@oceanaxim I remember the meaning of "port" because it and "left" have the same number of letters.

[@TheLoneHaranger]

Best nautical movie in my library, "Yellowbeard"! Love the joke, Why are pirates pirates? 'Cause they aaaarrrgghhh! 😅

[@WordsUnravelled]

A classic

[@Fadamor]

24:10 The line on a compass indicating straight ahead (and where you should reading your heading) is called the "lubber('s) line" - supposedly to make reading a compass easier to read for the nautically challenged (a.k.a. "lubbers").

[@lesleyhahn8682]

I love the "etymology" that can be gleaned from my favorite line in sitcom history. Buccaneer as interpreted in 3rd Rock From The Sun. When Dick is at a Halloween party dressed as a pirate and someone asks him where his buccaneers are. Right here, under my buckin' hat! I know, old joke taking several forms, but they got away with it on TV and that floated my boat.

[@DanSolo871]

What’s most enjoyable is how nerdy you two get when discussing English language history. 😊

[@janesweetman9890]

This is such a fun collaboration. Keep these clips coming please. Love it

[@lornenoland8098]

Tack, as far as direction, comes from attack, as in attacking the wind, meaning how you’re oriented in relation to the wind, which is also found in modern aviation, with angle of attack of the wing in relation to the airflow

[@nbell63]

(I knew I'd come across 'larboard' before!) He was thoughtful and grave-but the orders he gave Were enough to bewilder a crew. When he cried "Steer to starboard, but keep her head larboard!" What on earth was the helmsman to do? - Fit the Second, the Bellman's Speech - Lewis Carroll "The Hunting of the Snark" (1876).

[@barrymcdonald16]

Also in Tennysons "The Lotos Eaters".... We have had enough of action, and of motion we, Roll'd to starboard, roll'd to larboard, when the surge was seething free,

[@indetigersscifireview4360]

I have heard the term larboard used in some old movie it TV show as well. Maybe an Erol Flynn movie?

[@TimpossibleOne]

I always thought that a pirate's booty was called that because most people would store their valuables in a bootlocker. Which was also used to carry your luggage and excess personal cargo and that's why the rear of an automobile is called a boot in the UK.

[@James-y7j7m]

Let us not forget, "Foreskin" lat: "Justius Datippius" A small sail made of animal skin located at the furthermost end of a small Jewish Boat. It was ceremonial in nature, and was removed moments after the boat was launched. The person tasked with removing it was generally a Galley worker, or Meal preparer, or heb: Milah, or Mohel. Isn't that crazy? The more you know, i tell ya!

[@timkunkel5431]

Sweet Jesus!

[@scottmcnulty70]

You need a starboard and port so no one asks "My left or your left?"

[@edryba4867]

Rob!! I wanted to tell you how I’m enjoying this series just as much as I enjoy Robwords. These videos are just so much fun for a person like myself who was once a Radio DJ, and HAD to be funny on the air! It was my job to play the current hits, but there were a dozen signals that found their way into the market where I was the #1 Josh Dickey in the “afternoon drive” time slot. In fact, the ratings showed that for every listener my competition had, I HAD TWO! In order to pull off a feat like that, one cannot merely play current records. Being good with the language was rather vital, and YOU are out to beat the other stations when there were multiple other stations playing EXACTLY THE SAME MUSIC AS I WAS! Therefore, your facility with the language had everything to do with whether YOU won in the ratings. So, to be able to sound clever on the air, the better you were with the language, the better chance YOU had to be funnier than the next guy. And it was always fun to pretend there was a picture the audience could see (“Oh…I wanted to show you this…” as though you actually could. Silly and fun. By keeping it a mystery as to what was going to happen next, it made the whole thing MUCH more fun for both myself and my listeners!

[@skybluskyblueify]

~24:30 Lubber--there's a grasshopper that is called a lubber grasshopper that is big and clumsy. So now I know why they called them that. Thanks guys!

[@AhoyGame]

Another one - Amidships, the space between the bow and stern. Also the root of the navy rank of Midshipmen who were considered somewhere between the crew (who live before the mast), and officers who live aft. Athwartships is a fun one too!

[@philwoodfordjjj8928]

Midships, is also a helm command, meaning to bring the ship's wheel to its natural position.

[@olenilsen4660]

26:34 - nope, nope and nope! I´m not even a sailor or had anything to do with ships, but even I know that the poop deck is aft!

[@vipertwenty249]

The bow of the boat: If you think about it, the bows of ancient boats were formed by curved pieces of timber attached to and curving upwards from, the keel. That curve, formed in larger boats by steaming the timber to shape - or in a small boat by using a piece of timber selected from the tree that is already of the right curvature, is curved like a bow - an archery bow - hence the name - the bow. The Union Jack - the Union Flag flown from the Jackstaff. The Jackstaff is at the front of the ship - originally sticking upwards from the bowsprit, now at the very end of the front of the ship - right up at the pointy end! In the 18th and 19th centuries the main flag was at the back, a tall flagstaff just immediately forrard of the taffrail and carrying a very large flag - those are your Colours. So long as your colours are still flying you are still in the fight - you haul down your colours to indicate to the enemy that you are surrendering. Avast! : In modern archery in England if someone suddenly and for no apparent reason shouts "FAST" - you instantly stop shooting even if you are at full draw and just on the point of loosing the arrow - it comes from the word Avast and means *Stop!!* - in an emergency context. Nearly 50 years ago I was at a competition on a field shared with a football pitch - there were safety barriers but a footballer crossed those without looking and ran across directly in front of the archers about 50 yards downrange - one archer loosed his arrow during the instant in which the shout "Fast!" was given - the arrow went through the footballers shirt behind his shoulder without actually nicking the skin - he never understood just how lucky he'd just been. If he'd been 6 inches slower it would have penetrated his heart through the left side of his ribcage. My blood ran cold - thought he was a gonner for sure as I watched him and the arrow on a converging course. Actually - since she told you it referred to the stern of the ship and you *still* didn't realise your landlubber mistake I think you should walk the plank anyway 'cos that counts as 2 not 1. The sheets are the ropes that come off the bottom corners of the sail by the way. The tacks come off the ends of the yardarms. You use those 2 in conjunction to angle the sail relative to the wind and shape the sail how you want it for best efficiency. And I'm a couchlubber by the way, watching too much utube.

[@harryleblanc4939]

In grade school, I heard the folk etymology for "starboard" was that, when the Norsemen headed to America, the north star was on the right. Another nautical term was "handsomely," which in that context meant "slowly." I got that from the Horatio Hornblower books, which are marvelous fun.

[@stephenmcgaughey8682]

In Canada, a few decades ago, we started a one-dollar coin nicknamed "a Looney." It was named after a type of duck in the design. Later, a two-dollar coin was introduced which people the "DubLoony."

[@kencory2476]

It never caught on, to my dismay. They call it the twonie. It should be the "dubloon".

[@Dr.Claw_M.A.D.]

Not quite. The Loonie is a one dollar coin with a image of a loon on one side and Queen Elizabeth II on the abverse. A loon is not a duck but a seperate species of water fowl. A very hunting sound they make. Twonie is lame but oh well.

[@paulgaunt9481]

These 2 are a nice combo, love the format, hats off to them.

[@steveknight878]

'Sheet' is a rope with a very specific purpose - it is the rope that is attached to the free end of a sail, and it controls how taught the sail is, which way it is set. I was very confused when you talked about the poop deck being at the bow of the ship. All the poop decks I ever heard of were at the stern. There are so many phrases we have that are derived from sailing and seamanship - you covered quite a few. Others include "swinging the lead" (hanging around doing nothing much), not enough room to swing a cat, tip top and Bristol fashion and so on. How about "thwart" and "athwart"? A thwart is a seat on a (usually small) boat that is set across the beam of the boat (which reminds me of the phrase "broad in the beam"), and is also a verb - to spoil someone's plans. Broadside on, of course, is another phrase. Hull down - for something going away from you. Come about. Belay that. Splice the main brace. Heading in the right direction. Keelhaul. On your beam ends. Careen (careening around). And so many more.

[@amym.4823]

And batten down the hatches, meaning to get ready for a storm or a trying experience

[@markhamstra1083]

I’ve never seen an educated sail, no matter how taut. And “hull down” doesn’t mean a relative direction of sail, but rather that the vessel is far enough away that its hull is below the horizon even though its masts and perhaps other elements of its topsides are still visible - it’s a curvature of the earth thing that can also be extended to things like tanks in reverse slope deployments where only the turret is visible over the crest of a hill.

[@steveknight878]

@@markhamstra1083 Ha - yes, mistype, of course - I meant taut sail. And I know what hull down means, but perhaps didn't describe it well.

[@JiveDadson]

Helm's alee!

[@cdouglashall]

Jess also has a cute smile and can be very uplifting, like how she ended the video. Even if I don't particularly care about the specific topic, I enjoy watching her discuss it with Rob. These videos just make me happy. I discovered this on KZbin, I have not listed to the podcast. I should have reviewed the video for a term but thank you and bon voyage.

[@goldwinger5434]

The directional line on a nautical compass is called the "lubber line."

[@danamunkelt3276]

Great work. A few notes: my Slovak friends also use "ahoy", in the same sense. A "poop deck" is at the stern, from French/Latin. A timber can be properly shivered by a cannonball. Regarding "port" and "starboard", a rudder mounted to starboard could be damaged if that side were put against a dock, hence keep the other side towards the port.

[@NotaCapn]

Poop deck: The name comes from the after deck section on Roman ships, (puppim - pronounced “poo-pim”) where small statues or sacred images (puppis - meaning dool or statue) of gods were kept.

[@jbejaran]

Well, you've set me right about landlubber (which I always thought was a corruption of land-lover), and about starboard, which I always thought was the side of the ship away from the lights of the port, where you'd only see stars even when the ship was docked.

[@IanKemp1960]

I grew up surrounded by naval slang, without knowing. When I moved to another city I found it odd that people couldn't understand my vocab, for example: gash (garbage), scran, grog, ditch (throw something out), chit, buffer, oppo, come adrift, etc.

[@markus717]

what do those words mean? (Other than ditch & come adrift). Is 'gash' a noun or a verb?

[@IanKemp1960]

@@markus717 gash is garbage - I grew up along with all my neighbours, saying that we ‘ditch the gash’ 😀 Grog is any alcoholic drink, when I moved to Australia I was quite surprised to find it is normal slang here, for everyone

[@stevedelange]

@@IanKemp1960 And a fanny is the thing that you ditch the gash into. Gash fanny - rubbish bin.

[@davemclellan4019]

I love all things language! And I adore this channel. I listen to Rob words, and have recommended it to many . The two of you are so cute together also!

[@richardabernathy6242]

I love how Rob turns purple when he discusses sex

[@WordsUnravelled]

Isn't it adorable? - JZ

[@merrittwheeler2459]

I do love a show which causes me to learn, appreciate the scholarship, and chuckle at your antics, with Jess's eyepatch opening and your both often corny comments. Learning with humor! None better!

[@AhoyGame]

One correction - "Poop" or rather, the poopdeck is actually at the rear. It's foreward equivalent could be considered the forecastle, pronounced fo'c'sle :)

[@WordsUnravelled]

Ah, got it! Thanks. I like "forecastle". Rob

[@RNS_Aurelius]

There's an inn called Fo'c'sle in Oblivion on a ship

[@alandyer910]

Puppis is a constellation in the southern Milky Way that is the stern of the ship Argo Navis, which used to be a single constellation but was broken up in the 1700s into Puppis, Carina the Keel, Vela the Sails, and Pyxis the Compass.

[@therealinformalmusic]

Anyone who ever studied Catullus 64 in Latin will recall that •puppis• is Latin for “stern” and (by synecdoche) “ship”. It comes to English by Old French •pupe•. One of my favourite nautical terms is the boom’s vang on a yacht-the line that holds the boom in place: “boom”, “Dutch for “tree” or “pole” is an etymological cousin of “beam”; “vang” is from the Dutch “to catch”; “yacht”, of course, is from the Dutch for “fast ship”.

[@trevorkirby3781]

Boom vang is more American, in the UK , particularly in the dinghy sailing world it's a kicking strap or kicker, because it stops the boom kicking up when a gust hits

[@topquark22]

Here in Canada, the dollar coin is called a "loonie" because it has a loon on it. When they came out with the 2-dollar coin, by popular consensus and rhyming etymology, it became called the "toonie." I think this is a great shame; it should have been called the "doubloon."

[@soggytablet4852]

Thanks for the show. Lots of fun. In the marina where I keep a boat, the kids that help people on and off the docks wear T-shirts imprinted, "Birth Control". Hats off 🙂

[@Stevanavich725]

We definitely need to make lubberwort as euphemism for marijuana a thing.

[@WordsUnravelled]

I support this wholeheartedly. - JZ

[@NotaCapn]

I am so glad you took up this topic that we discussed a while back!

[@pabmusic1]

Many former Spanish colonies use pesos - 'pieces' - still. R. L. Stevenson based Long John Silver on a real person. He was his friend, the poet W. E. Henley Very striking figure, with a great buggerly beard, a heavy Gloucestershire accent and one leg.

[@pierreabbat6157]

"Peso" means "weight". The word for "piece" is "pedazo".

[@pabmusic1]

@@pierreabbat6157 Thank you.

[@richardh8082]

I know a man with a wooden leg named Smith :)

[@uesbob]

I think the Spanish coin came pre-scored into 8 pie shaped pieces.

[@pabmusic1]

@@richardh8082 Why does his wooden leg have a name?

[@mikepictor]

well thank you for being the first KZbin show to find its way into my podcast subscriptions.

[@davidnaegle427]

I thought they'd mention 'posh'. On sea voyages between Britain and India, the most desirable cabins, those that didn't get the afternoon heat, were on the port side going to India, and the starboard side on the return, or 'home' voyage. Tickets for these cabins were supposedly stamped POSH, for 'Port-Out, Starboard Home'. These were premium cabins; the word 'posh' has since become associated with anything luxurious.

[@nickmiller76]

No

[@divinebitter1638]

They debunk this in their Word Myths video. The etymology is unclear, but clearly not from an acronym for port out starboard home.

[@janbruggeman8465]

When 2 ships pass each other, they would keep the other to port (cross on the right side) to prevent their steering oar on starboard to get clenched between the ships if a boarding would occur. Two swordsmen on horseback would cross each other on the left, to keep their right arm (which is the sword arm) towards the other just in case a fight would occur. When the overuse of cars forced us to regulate byn law how to cross each other, some of us choose the sailor's way, whereas others choose the landlubbers way ...

[@dougsundseth6904]

A couple of notes: To my knowledge, it was not considered dishonorable to fly the flag of the "wrong" country unless you actually fought with that flag flying. To fly another flag before a fight is just a "ruse de guerre". The USA also has a Union Jack, which is a naval flag in the form of the 50-starred blue canton of the National Ensign without the stripes. A privateer is specifically a ship that has been granted "Letters of marque and reprisal". These were granted by national governments to privately owned ships to give them the right to prosecute war on the nation's behalf. Which makes them more equivalent to a private military contractor than a pirate. Knot teachers and books keep current several nautical terms, which shouldn't be too much of a surprise: the bitter end of a rope is the free end that you use when tying most knots, a "bight" is a loop in the middle of a rope, a "bowline" (pronounced like the weapon you use to shoot an arrow) is a popular non-slipping knot. (Note that I'm leaving aside the technical differences between rope, line, cable, ....) I'll also mention "mainstay", which is a specific line holding the mainmast in place on a ship.

[@bryantarms]

Bitter... like the end of a whip, which is what a sheet becomes when it's out of control and attached to a flogging sail. That may be related to why the thread wrap that's often used to keep the bitter end of a line from fraying is called whipping.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

The a- prefix in works like aback, along, askance, aggrieve, abaft, adrift, and ashore can mean "to, "toward," or "on."

[@tabitha2706]

Fore and aft are directional. Bow and stern relate to the physical part of the ship that is there. Hope that makes sense

[@The1nsane1]

You go for'ard to the bow and aft to the stern.😉

[@olenilsen4660]

6:43 - as you claim to be nerds and all - Jib is also a term used with cranes. It´s an extension beyond what the crane can normally reach. A sort of add-on that you can use to reach a bit further, or even add a new joint that allows you to thread the crane into hard to reach spots.

[@mikefochtman7164]

My favorite is the idiom, "there'll be the devil to pay..." "Paying' was the process of stuffing the cracks between planks with fibrous oakum and tar. Periodically ships would be beached so the crew could 'pay' the cracks from underneath the ship. The worst one to do was the longest, deep underneath along the keel. It's the longest seam and directly over your head so hot tar would drip on you as you went along it. This seam was nicknamed, 'the devil' because it was such a arduous one to seal up. So if you were on the bosun's 'bad side', you would be assigned this job. So getting caught by the bosun screwing up and "there'll be the devil to pay..." in your future.

[@lordofthe6string]

As far as I know what you say is from the longer phrase "The devil to pay and no pitch hot" and surprisingly has nothing (or little) to do with the shorter "The devil to pay"

[@mikefochtman7164]

@@lordofthe6string Interesting, do you have some more information? Would love to read more about this (and other sayings derived from nautical terms).

[@sleethmitchell]

perhaps too the phrase, 'between the devil and the deep blue sea.'

[@mikefochtman7164]

@@sleethmitchell Hmm... never thought of that, a reference to 'keelhauling'? When dragged under the keel as a punishment (which often killed the victim).

[@ericsmith1508]

In my amateur studies of pirate and nautical idioms I had heard it said that the "lubber line" was the imaginary line down the center of a ship off of which the ship's heading and bearings would be figured. Thus, a "land lubber" was someone unfamiliar with sailing and could only "get their bearings" on land.

[@weegiewarbler]

Have you heard of the impoverished, deaf pirate? He had no buccaneers! Boom-tsch.....

[@Richardincancale]

You really should have released this on September 19th - International Talk Like A Pirate Day! I gave a day-long course on satellite communications about 10 years ago on this day - in Pirate-Speak - to the benefit (?) of a mainly middle-eastern audience in Eton!

[@paulcaine2603]

How much did the pirate pay to get his ears pierced. .......... About a buccaneer.

[@bawrytr]

Corsair, from French 'course' - to race. The bitts were two very strong posts, sometimes called Sampson posts, protruding up through the deck around which one might coil the last bit of the anchor rode or rope.

[@grahamrankin4725]

Bosun is contracted from boat swain.

[@meadow-maker]

I thought it was spelt boatswain.

[@OliveDNorth]

​@@meadow-maker It is. ;-)

[@richardh8082]

@@OliveDNorth A boatswain, bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun, also known as a deck boss, or a qualified member of the deck department, is the most senior rate of the deck department and is responsible for the components of a ship's hull.

[@peterbouma3943]

It may actually be derived from Dutch bootsman (lit. "boat's man"). Czar Peter the Great borrowed the same word into Russian as боцман.

[@seanmalloy7249]

The Russian bootsmann joke would probably get rob to be glowing brightly enough red to be mistaken for a traffic signal. The general structure starts 'The bootsmann stepped out of the hatch onto the deck, stumbled upon an anchor, and fell on his face. "You [insert long string of vulgarities here]!" said the bootsmann, and then swore profusely.' - the longer and more vulgar the string of profanity, the better the joke is considered to be.

[@wayneyadams]

3:04 The Nautilus is also a Mollusk in the Cephalopod group.

[@francisconnellan350]

"Cold enough to freeze the balls off (or on) a brass monkey or not enough room to swing a cat both nautical terms.

[@GuanoLad]

Both myths, I'm afraid. They're not nautical at all, but much more literal.

[@poe12]

Why would you literally swing a cat?

[@msclrhd]

@@poe12 Metaphorical? "Not enough room to swing a cat" conjours up the image of somewhere not having much more room than your arm outstretched (not enough space to also include the cat), so the term is to be interpreted in its literal sense as a metaphor for a small room or space.

[@deanb61]

@@poe12 cat is the name for a whip, you swing it to hit someone. It's not a feline cat.

[@poe12]

@@deanb61 oh. That cat! Thank you!

[@twylanaythias]

Bow (unrelated to bough) simply means a curve or smooth bend. We still use it today in terms like riverbow (a sweeping bend in a river), rainbow (that big colorful arc in the sky), and even just bow (curled ribbons, looped shoelaces, the thing that shoots arrows, etc). My understanding of the "a...." words is that they originally were "at ...."; at sea = asea, at sail = asail, at shore = ashore, at sleep = asleep, at drift = adrift, etc. Booty is related to both beauty and bounty - plenty which is joyful to behold. Think of how Canadians (with their heavy French influence) largely pronounce "ou" as "oo" in words like about. Remember that many pirates originated as privateers, paid a bounty for the apprehension of particular people; they were also allowed to keep a portion of waylaid treasure as part of the bounty. (Once they 'were in business for themselves', the entirety of the treasure was their bounty.) A wag is someone who is open about their opinions, usually in the vocal sense. (The association with a dog's tail is that canines are very expressive via their tails - you can always tell what a dog is thinking by what their tail is doing.) Scally is an old Scots-Irish term synonymous with terms like peon - essentially the lower working class. And let's be honest... people tend to lose their apprehensions and become more liberal with their opinions when inebriated. Of course, sailors were (and still are) meant to be more discrete in their conversations - "loose lips sink ships" and all that. Hence, a scallywag was a 'commoner' with a tendency to talk about things they really shouldn't be talking about.

[@dougniergarth236]

Kudo's on this topic you two. I think there are enough nautical word to earn two episodes. Also there are cowboy terms...

[@WordsUnravelled]

Good suggestion! - JZ

[@therickson100]

The reason for the "starboard" or "steer board" side is opposite of the "port" or "larboard" (loading" side) it that it was preferred to tie a boat up to the quay on the side opposite where the rudder was hung in order to avoid damaging the rudder by accidentally hitting the peer while mooring and unmooring. Also, wave action could cause the boat to crush the rudder between the boat and the peer.

[@ThatGeezer]

These two clearly know the ropes. 😉

[@johnsykes9623]

There is only 1 rope on a ship!

[@ianchristian7949]

Brewer's says toe the line comes from lining up for foot races at the start line. I've also heard it attributed to starting a bare knuckle boxing match with the boxers starting with their leading foot on either side of a line.

[@tomhalla426]

I had seen a story about Major Travis at the Alamo, who drew a line in the sand with his sword, and asked those who were willing to fight to “toe the line”

[@zhubajie6940]

Some of my favorites are a car's steering wheel, referring to the wheel to steer the ship (first used for cars in 1902), a car's fender where fenders originally were ropes tied up in a cylinder to be put alongside a ship to protect it from the wharf or dock (from the word defender, used for cars since 1919), and figurehead, originally used as the ornament at the bow of the boat, meaning a leader without real authority (dating from 1858).

[@wevans3239]

Rob and Jess, this was an excellent presentation. Seafaring has indeed been a major influence on world culture. Other words you might consider in a future video are: mast, oar, oarlock, galley, strake, bulwark, sheer, head, gunwales, brass monkey, beat to quarters, clew, related to your previously duscussed bitter end, sheet bend, keel, keelage, keelhaul, eight bells, and of course astern where the poop deck is, and ship's wash or wake.

[@tammygross144]

Fun episode for this landlubbing pirate writer. I love that unflappable Jess didn't know about "roger" & the look on Rob's face! Robert Newton's LJS is iconic. That TV show & Robert Shaw's Buccaneers show gave us a lot of todays' modern impression of pirates. The poop section had me very confused. Poop decks are at the back - & I just noticed as I type this that Rob has corrected that in comments. I did learn something... Seems my ancestors transported to America were scallywags both in the 17th- & 19th-century senses.

[@terryellis9716]

As others have said, the poop deck is at the stern and the constellation Puppis is the poop deck of the ship Argo. Also, "Three sheets to the wind" comes from windmills. If they have 3 sails on (windmill sheets are sails while ship sheets are ropes), then the windmill is off balance.

[@fishdaddy35]

Another term worth exploring is “pieces of eight.” In those days, the only coin was a crown, and there were no smaller coins to make change or buy smaller items, so the crown coin was often cut into eight parts, and these “bits” or “pieces of eight” were used as smaller coinage. It’s also where we get “two bits” for a quarter.

[@donc.suojanen6733]

Another boating term I like asking when someone tell me they have a boat is "How much free board do you have?" It is the area on the topside at the edge on either side of a boat called " the toe rail" and the free board runs from there to the water line.

[@TheRealDrJoey]

Whenever my Dad would see somebody do something crazy in traffic he say, "I'm giving that guy a wide berth..."

[@michaelfiller3452]

There is actually an Oxford Dictionary of Nautical terms. A little research ahead of time would have helped. 'Start with a clean slate' refers to erasing the chalkboard used to keep track of how the vessel was sailed. The navigator would say "sail NNE", but due changes in wind direction during the watch the vessel may only have held that course for an hour, then changed to northeast for an hour, and then north for two hours, maintaining 5kts, 6kts and 4kts for each of those legs. The navigator can then deduce where the vessel is, via deductive reconning (pronounced dead reckoning), off of the prior position. After deciding on a new set of instructions the helmsman is given a clean slate.

[@nclarke372]

As a retired US Navy sailor I enjoyed your Nautical Etymologies. One of my favorite words, Scuttlebutt, along with the term “Sea Story” I often start a conversation with “I have a sea story...” May I add to that “Scuttlebutt” is not just gossip around the water cooler. It was so much more, it was the sailors' Social Media, it was how information is/was passed around the ship, true or false. It is hard to explain the value of “Scuttlebutt” to non-sailor (landlubber hahaha), landlubber is not really used in modern times other than as a joke. Sand crab was more common in my day. During my Navy days I made up a sea story as to why the “Bow” is at the front of the ship. When a ship is in high seas (rough seas or storm) the ship is turned into the approaching wave. A ship weathers high seas better riding over each wave as they come, rather than in the trough broadside (perpendicular) to a wave, in the trough a great wave can roll a ship over. This up and over motion results in the ship dropping its “head” (another term for bow) as it moves down the wave as in a “Bow” to show respect to the power of our mistress the sea. The POOP Deck is in the Stern of a ship, it has no relationship to common use of poop today. The word “Head” could have been explored. The US Navy's name for the toilet is head, it has evolved into the place where the crew take care of their personal hygiene. As a young sailor I was told that the use of the word head for the toilet was in reference to the location of the toilet in the days of sail, at the bow or head of the ship where the ship's figurehead was located. This location was used because in the days of sail the ship moved with the wind. This keeps the smell from blowing through the ship. I did not see this logic and pointed out that in those times the toilet was just a hole in a board the one sat on and that the product of this action would simply fall into the sea with little smell issue. The Chief didn't appreciate my logic and I spent the next two hours swabbing the deck and cleaning the head. Rob I'm from Baltimore County, Maryland I grew up on the Chesapeake Bay. During the war for Independence and up to the War of 1812 the English government regarded the Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore as a nest of pirates. During this time Baltimore was a center of American Privateer activity. This is a point of pride for me. Thanks again for the information and entertainment.