Nautical Words and Phrases in Modern Usage

English is awash with sea-salt encrusted words and phrases. Our language is saturated with maritime history. The swell and storms of the world's oceans rolls of the tip off our tongues. 

English is an idiomatic language - peppered with phrases and Figures of Speech.

idiom:  a form of expression peculiar to a language, person or group of people (e.g. Mariners). 

Idioms add colour and rich imagery to the spoken words.

This page offers a fascinating look at how a myriad of expressions in everyday English usage have nautical origins.

~ This page last updated October 27th, 2000 ~

A

Above board:

This term for honesty originated in the days when pirates would hide most of their crews belowdecks, to trick some unsuspecting victim. A ship that displayed its crew openly on the deck, aboveboard, was obviously an honest merchantman.

All hands on deck:

Everyone should gather together to their stations or positions and prepare for action.... Today's meaning is not so different: to gather everyone together for some task or other.

All Sewn up:

If you died or were killed on board while at sea, you would be "all sewn up" in a bit of old sail canvass with a cannon ball at your feet to make sure you sank into the deep. As an added indignity, they would start sewing at the your feet and then at your head, the last stitch would be put through your nose to make sure you really were dead. I think today we would use this phrase in the sense of something completed or even just over.

All washed up:

When a vessel runs aground it is beached; for the sailor, it meant being ashore without means of support. The term now is more usually used in the same sense of over-the-hill or a has been.  

Aloof:

Comes from A-luff.  The front part of the sail which meets the wind is called the luff and comes from the Dutch word �loef� (winward).  A vessel that could point higher to winward and hold its speed better than another was said to stand apart or to sail a-luff (hence aloof). Changed in modern day usage to mean a person who is distant, perhaps snobbish or regards themselves as standing apart from the rest of the crowd.  

Any port in a storm:

When someone is in serious difficulties, they will go anywhere for help and safety. The origin is obvious.

As straight as the Crow flies:

British coastal vessels customarily carried a cage of crows.  These birds hate wide expanses of water and head, �as straight as the crow flies,� to the nearest land when released at sea.  This was useful to vessels lost in foggy coastal weather before the days of radar.  The lookout perch on sailing vessels became known as the crow�s nest.  

At a rate of knots:

To go at top speed. Someone who is travelling or driving very fast. A knot, by the way, is 1.1 miles. 

B

Batten down the hatches:

The real hatches are the things that cover the hatchways: gratings and close-hatches. A great deal of water can come aboard either from the sea of the sky or both, so they used to cover those hatches with tarpaulins. The crew typically took battens - stout laths of wood that fit against the coaming (the raised rim of the hatchway) - and pinned the tarpaulin down to cleats on the deck - drum tight.

Bear down; overbearing manner; taking the wind out of his sails; shot across the bows; brought up short:

To �bear down� is to sail fast (usually downwind) towards the enemy in an �overbearing manner� and get up wind from him, thereby �taking the wind out of his sails.�  This action was usually preceded by a warning �shot across the bows,� to which an outgunned vessel might immediately drop anchor and be �brought up short� (stopped) with sails all standing (full sail).

Today �bear down� might be used in the sense of overtaking someone or of applying oneself to the task at hand.  �Overbearing manner� refers to a person that takes over a situation or a conversation without regard for others.  When a person is deflated or slowed down at a task we say that we are �taking [or took] the wind out of his sails.� A �shot across the bows� is still used in the sense of a warning, and to be �brought up short� is to be stopped in the pursuit of some venture or severely corrected or reprimanded.  

Bigwigs:

The Senior officers in the English Navy, who once wore huge wigs, were referred to a "bigwigs."

Bitter end:

If a sailor where to pay out all of the anchor warp (chain or rope) until he reached the bitter end, then he would have no more to give out.  The bitter end also refers to the end of the �starter� (a short rope knotted at on end) used for punishment. We talk nowadays of having reached the �bitter end� when we mean that we can go no further in a task or other venture.

Blue Monday:

Aboard ship: punishment day.

Brace up:

Literally - tighten the rigging. We use it now has we would in "come on, buck up (brace up).  

Burning one's boats:

To take an irrevocable step. To cut oneself off from all chance of retreat. No way back. A famous case was the burning of the "Bounty" by the mutineers once they reached Pitcairn Island.

By and large:

Same in meaning to a similar nautical term �full and by� which comes from �full sailed and by the wind.� This in turn means that the vessel has been freed from �pinching� to close to the wind while tacking close hauled and is thus sailing more efficiently. By and large has come to mean �approximately� or �sought of� or �for the most part.�

By the board, Overboard, All above board:

Anything at sea that went �by the board� or �overboard� was seen as being as good as lost at sea or with no hope.  �All above board referred to the fact that boards or planking which made up the decks are in plain view; hence, anything that was stored above board was in plain view of everyone. Nowadays we tend to use �going overboard� in the sense of going to far in our reaction or in some venture.  �All above board� has come to be synonymous with honest dealings.

C

Chance one's arm:

Do something against the rules and regulations which, if caught in the act, would result in serious consequences.

Chew the fat:

Sailors who used to talk and complain about the poor food, while eating their salt pork.

Chock-a-block (Chock full):

When the sails were pulled in tight so that the boat could sail as close to the wind as possible the blocks (pulleys) would be pulled �hard-up� or in as tight or close together as possible.  This would be called �chock-a-block,� or chock full." Used in the modern-day sense of any articles (or people) that are packed in tightly together.  

Clean Bill of Health:

This widely used term has its origins in the "Bill of Health", a document issued to a ship showing that the port it sailed from suffered from no epidemic or infection at the time of departure. 

Clean slate:

It was the custom in sailing ships to record courses, distances and tacks on a log slate.  The new watch would always start with a clean slate if things had been growing fine, disregarding what had gone before and starting anew. In a similar way, today, we refer to a new beginning in life as starting with a �clean slate.�  

Clear the deck:

In preparation for heavy weather, or a naval engagement, it was necessary to remove from the deck anything that was not essential. Today, this phrase is usually used when we prepare to get started on a project. 

Cock up:

In port, if the yard arms where not slewed inboard by the cock up crew and neatly braced so that they would not foul other ship�s rigging or dock equipment the crew was not allowed ashore. Today, a �cock up� is a mistake or making a mess of some responsibility, job or venture.

Couple of shakes:

Shakes refers to the shaking (luffing) of the head sails if the vessel points up to close to the wind.  As the helmsman came to the end of his watch his attention might wander and the vessel would point up.  Sailors would measure short periods of time before watch changes with a �couple of shakes.� Similarly used today to mean in a really short time or in a couple of �secs.�  

Crew Cut:

A short haircut given to the whole ships crew on a periodic (en masse) basis.

Cut and Run:

To escape by a sudden manoeuvre. For a ship to leave an engagement with a superior ship or force and make an escape.

Cut of his jib:

Spanish and French ships which frequented the notoriously stormy Bay of Biscay had their foresails cut thin so that the vessels would not be blown of the wind when close hauled.  A British Captain of a smaller vessel upon seeing an unexpected three-decker Ship-of-the-Line on the horizon might remark that he did not like the �cut of his jib� and decide to cut and run. Today the meaning is quite vague and is more likely to mean something along the line of liking or disliking the appearance of somebody as in �I like the cut of his jib.�

D

Dead Reckoning:

For many years, the practice of keeping a log based on estimated speed was called "deduced" reckoning. This got abbreviated to "d'ed," pronounced "dead."

Devil to pay, Devil and the deep blue sea:

In traditional wooden ships, the sailors had to caulk or pay the seams with hot tar between the planks of the deck to prevent leakage into the bilge.  The devil seam was topmost on the hull next to the scuppers at the edge of the deck and the longest and most difficult seam to caulk.  Hence, if there was the �devil to pay,� then this was the most difficult and dangerous job since the sailor might be knocked down (scuppered) by a large wave and find himself between the �devil and the deep blue sea.� The former has come to mean that there will be a big price to pay for a particular action; the latter now refers to being on the horns of a dilemma or between a rock and a hard place.   

Dismantle:

To unrig a vessel and discharge all of its stores.

Don't spoil the ship for a ha'porth of tar:

By saving a little, a lot is lost. To leave a job half done. Tar was used to seal between the ship's planks. leaving gaps would cause leaks.

Down the Hatch:

Here's a drinking expression that seems to have its origins in sea freight, where cargoes are lowered into the hatch for transport below deck. The freight appears to be consumed by the ship.

Dragging your anchor:

A vessel caught in a storm and heading for land or the rocks would drop its anchor as a last resort to try and "stave off" disaster. If the anchor could not purchase a grip, or get a bite, it would drag along the bottom. However, today, we use it in a slightly different sense: that of being impeded by something or of behaving or acting in a tired manner.

F

Field day:

A day for cleaning all parts of the vessel.

Feeling Blue:

If you describe a melancholy period this way, you are following a custom that was practiced when a ship lost its captain during a voyage - she would fly blue flags and have a blue band painted along her hull when she returned to port.

Fathom it:

The word "fathom" comes from the Old English and means "outstretched arms." In the days of sailing vessels, soundings were made by lowering a lead weight on hemp line. As the line was retrieved, it was measured with outstretched arms. A fathom is six feet. Today if we say we "can't fathom it." we mean that we don't understand or can't work it out. More closly to the original meaning, we perhaps are saying that we can't find the depth of something.

First-Rate:

In the old system of grading English ships, this term referred to a man-o-war that was the largest and most heavily armed. As the scale then decreased rapidly, smaller vessels were second-rate and the least seaworthy were third-rate.

Floozies:

Women who were let aboard during the time a vessel was in port. A general term today for loose women.

Fly by night:

This was a large sail used at night, and for downwind sailing, to replace several smaller more intricate sails.  It required less attention and was seldom seen by sailors. We now refer to a �fly by night� as a person who �skips out� on their responsibilities.

Footloose:

The bottom of the sail or foot should be tied to the boom otherwise if its footloose then it might dance around freely with a mind of its own. From this we get �footloose and fancy free� meaning without commitment.  

Forging ahead:

Going ahead slowly.

Freeze the balls off a brass monkey:

Not what you think. Cannon balls where piled on deck beside the cannon, pyramid fashion, and retained in a brass monkey or ring.  If the weather was very cold the brass ring - due to a different coefficient of expansion - would contract faster than the iron cannon balls thus causing some of them to topple. Hence it was said - and still is today - to be cold enough to �freeze the balls off a brass monkey.   Thus the origin of the saying is practical and not as crude as imagined by most people today.  

From Stem to Stern:

The very front of a ship is called the stem, the rear is called the stern. From stem to stern includes the entire ship. Therefore, to do anything thouroughly, say cleaning for example, might be described as cleaned "from stem to stern." 

G

Gangway:

Get out of the way. Usually shouted at ratings for them to step aside for a superior naval officer.

Get spliced:

Join together in marriage; from the act of joining to ropes together to form one

Give a wide berth:

Avoid a person who is in a foul mood. To keep a safe distance away from a person, especially if they are dangerous. The nautical meaning should be fairly obvious: avoid a collision by giving lots of room between maneuvering vessels.

Give Leeway:

A navigator would allow extra room off a dangerous lee (downwind) shore in case of error or mishap thus allowing the vessel extra room to maneuver in an emergency. Used in the modern-day sense of being more patient with someone or allowing a person more freedom of expression or a little extra room to maneuver.  

Go by the boards:

Refers to the practice of abandoning some object that has no further use by throwing it over the side, the boards, of the boat.

Go overboard:

Originally the same meaning as above, but now refers to an over- enthusiastic person being carried away by his emotions.

Go to the Head:

This euphemism for the toilet came from the fact that on the sailing ships it was located forward, close to the figuehead - the "head" of the vessel.

Grog (Groggy):

Comes from the nickname the British sailors had for their West Indies Commander, Admiral Vernon, who wore a cloak made of a coarse cloth called grogham. "Old Grog," as they called him, made his men dilute their daily pint with water, in hopes of reducing the rum's effects; the men simply drank the mixture faster, and became groggy. 

H

Half slewed, Three sheets to the wind:

When yard arms which carry the square sails are not properly braced to deflect the wind, they are said to be �half slewed.�  They can falter and sway ineffectively.  If the three sheets that control the jib and mainsail of a Bermuda rigged vessel are loose then the sails are not drawing effectively and the sheets are thrashing about out of control or �three sheets to the wind.�  The latter also refers to a windmill that is unbalanced because it has three arms covered in fabric (sheets) instead of two or four (either of which would be better for balance). Both terms are used today for general inebriation; however, the first might be used more specifically for a staggering drunk and the second for a violent out of control drunk.  

Hand over Fist:

Climbing into the rigging of the old sailing ships was done hand over hand, and the more descriptive "hand over fist" portrays someone hauling in and rapidly ascending up the ropes, just as in the business world when someone has risen rapidly and is hauling in money.

Haul up short; Brought up short:

A vessel desiring, or being commanded to by another more powerful vessel, to make a quick stop, would turn into the wind a be brought up "all standing," with the wind blowing on the wrong side of the sails. If this predicament was as a result of a bad maneuver during a battle, or if it happened near a lee shore (the ship between the land and the wind direction) the result would be very precarious indeed. The vessel might start to drift backwards and be uncontrollable. Jib sails at the front of the vessel would have to be 'backed"  in order to try and get the ship's bow to swing away from the wind sufficiently (greater than 45 degrees) allowing the sails to catch the wind again.

Hasn�t got a clew, Get clewed up:

The clew refers to the corner of the sail where a brass ring (cringle) is sown into the fabric of the sail.  If a clew should come loose and the vessel �hasn�t got a clew.� then its not going anywhere until it �gets clewed up� again. If someone today �hasn�t got a clew� then we infer that they do not understand a problem or that they are brainless or similar.   To �get clewed up� is to fully investigate or understand something or some problem.

Hit the deck:

Has the same usage today as the preceding, but originally was used to waken the sailors when it was time to come up from below onto the deck.

Holy mackerel:

Because mackerel is a fish that spoils quickly, merchants were allowed to sell it on Sundays despite blue laws in the 17th-century England. Hence the phrase "Holy Mackerel!"

Hulk:

An old sailing vessel whose condition is beyond making seaworthy again. Such vessels were stripped of their rigging and used for in-port storage or even as "Prison Hulks." "He was a great 'hulk' of a person." In other words: big and virtually useless.

I

In the Doldrums:

Doldrums is the name of a place in the ocean that is located either side of, and near, the equator. It is characterized by unstable trade winds or even lack of winds for days, if not weeks, at a time.   A sailing ship caught in the Doldrums can be stranded due to lack of wind. If the situation was bad enough, or if danger threatened, the boats might be launched in order to tow the ship until the wind picked up. Today, if we are in the doldrums, we feel stagnated - depressed even.

In the offing:

Said of a ship visible at sea off the land. Such a ship is often approaching port, hence the phrase is used figuratively to mean "about to happen." Something that is due to happen soon. 

J

Jonah:

A jinx person who brings bad luck to others. From the bible - Old Testament (Book of Jonah) - Jonah was thrown overboard because he was blamed for the storm. 

Jury Rig:

assembled in a makeshift manner. It comes from "jury mast," a nautical term attested since 1616 for a temporary mast made from any available spar when the mast has broken or been lost overboard. Often used today to denote something "slapped" together to make do.

K

Keel over:

This was when a boat would roll fully, usually as a result of a strong gust, and wind up with its keel up. The expression has come to mean the result of any type of strong blow, usually an emotional one, that makes a person "turn over."

Keep an even keel:

Came from the technique of trimming the sails so that the same amount of water flowed under the sides of the boat. Today, we use the same term to advise one to keep his emotions in check.

Keep an even strain:

Making sure that the rigging on the masts were evenly tensioned; today, also used to advise remaining calm, when many things are pulling one different ways.

Keeping a weather eye open:

Sailors will always keep a weather eye open as trouble will always come from that side of the ship (i.e., the winward side). Used similarly in a modern-day sense of watching out for trouble in any given situation.

Know the ropes:

There could be up to ten miles of similar sized rope on a large vessel and they were, of course, in those days, nor colour coded; therefore, they could only be told apart by their standardized positions.  Even so, only an �old salt� would truly �know the ropes.� Knowing what is required of you today would be regarded as �knowing the ropes.�  

Alternate: Every line on board a sailing vessel has a particular name, based on its use. Rather than a jargon to mystify new recruits, these names were important to identify the proper "rope," especially in an emergency. Therefore, one who "knows the ropes" is an accomplished, experienced hand.

L

Land in debt:

To literally land (disembark) from a vessel with debts to pay from your accumulated earnings made while at sea.

Letting the Cat out of the bag:

The Cat o� nine tails was kept in a leather bag and when the sailors �let the Cat out of the bag� they had usually done something that would invite misfortune to themselves.  Sometimes the sailor was required to fashion his  own Cat o� nine tails or a �rod for his own back.�  Punishment was usually given out on board ship on �Blue Monday.�  

Like Rats deserting a sinking ship:

A derogatory term for a person who leaves friends at the first sign of trouble, just as rats were said to leave a sinking ship or even a ship doomed at some point in the near future. 

Like ships passing in the nights:

Chance or passing acquaintances only encountered once.

Loggerheads:

At loggerheads: "...They had been sparring, in a spirit of fun, with loggerheads, those massive iron balls with long handles to be carried red-hot from the fire and plunged into buckets of tar or pitch so that the substance might be melted with no risk of flame." When people are arguing or strongly disagreeing, we say that they are "at loggerheads."

Loose Cannon:

Imagine the damage a loose cannon could do if it was allowed to careen about the deck during a storm. Hence, when a storm threatened, the crew would be instructed to lash down the guns to prevent them breaking loose. We refer to a person in an organisation who is unorthodox as being "a loose cannon," because of the potential damage they can do.

M

Making heavy weather:

Sailing closer to the wind than is really necessary thereby slowing the boat (less efficient) and putting it in danger of being �put about� (forced on to the opposite tack) or of being put �in irons� (head to wind and all aback). Used in the modern-day sense of struggling with a given task or of making more of it than might be thought reasonable.  

Mind your P's and Q's:

Sailors would get credit at the waterfront taverns until they were paid. The innkeeper kept a record of their drinks, and he had to mind that no Pints or Quarts were left off of their accounts.

N

Nippers:

Small boys who nipped smaller lines to heave the heavy anchor warp which was to thick to bend around the capstan. In England small boys are known as �nippers.�  

No room to swing a cat:

During punishment all hands were called on deck to bear witness. In the case of a ship with a full complement on board this could make for a very crowded deck. In fact the deck could be so crowded that a cat o' nine tails could not be used without hitting the observers so that there was "no room to swing a cat."

Now Your talkin':

When the sails were set correctly, and the ship was balanced, sailors would complement the the "ol' gel"  with a "now yer talkin'." Perhaps one way we use it nowadays is in the sense of strong agreement about a subject or course of action. 

O

Over haul:

Refers to the action of the crew going aloft to overhaul buntlines so that the stopped chaffing the sails during long periods on a downwind course. This word has gradually come to mean to maintain things in a working condition.

Over-reach:

To sail longer upon a tack, in turning to winward, than is necessary in order to reach a given point. Used in the modern-day sense of holding on to something for a longer time than necessary (a stock for example). Or in the sense of having gone to far (over-extended) in some venture.  

On an even keel:

A vessel that has no lean or tilt. A state of stability and balance.

P

Passed with flying colors:

This comes from sailing ships that, when passing other ships at sea, would fly their colors (pennants, flags) if they wanted to be identified. 

Pipe Down:

A boatswain's call denoting the completion of an all hands evolution, and that you can go below. This expression is now used to mean "Keep quiet."

Plumb the depths:

Find out what's going on. From the lead weight attached to a rope with knots tied in it corresponding to fathoms that was used to �sound� depths in shallow or unfamiliar waters. 

Pooped:

Large sailing vessels had a poop deck aft where the helmsman and the wheel were situated.  If the vessel was sailing downwind with a high following sea the waves might swamp over the poop deck.  This was referred to as being pooped. Nowadays it is used more in the sense of a person being exhausted. 

Port and Starboard:

Originally, the old sailing ships (like the Vikings), didn't have a rudder, and were steered by a board on the right side. This came to be the "steerboard" side;  the other side was called "larboard" at first, but since the side with the board couldn't be against the dock, this other side, the left, became the "port" side.

Posh:

In the days when the wealthy traveled to India by ship it was customary for passengers to book quarters on the cooler port side of the vessel on the outward journey, and the similar cooler starboard side on the homeward trip.  Hence port/out (PO) and starboard/home (SH) gave rise to the acronym POSH. Today we refer to people of class (Spice Girls notwithstanding) as being posh.  

Pour oil on troubled waters:

Try to calm a difficult situation. To soothe by gentle words; to use tact and diplomacy. Comes from the practice of ships releasing bunker oil or cargoe oil into the sea during a bad storm. The resulting oil-slick would spread out to winward - therefore behind the vessel - and calm the waves somewhat.

Put a new slant on things:

All sailing vessels have an optimum angle of heel - the angle at which. if greater than,  it is better to reduce sail rather than spill wind and power out of the sails.  Sailors new when to �put a new slant on things� when conditions changed. We generally mean when we say to �put a new slant on things� that we are looking at a problem afresh or from a different angle or perspective.  

Put one's oar in:

Interfere in someone else's business

R

Rod for his own back:

As part of his punishment, a sailor found drunk on duty, would be required to fashion a cat-o-nine-tails for use on his own back, hence the saying...  In a more modern sense, we might say this of a person who is involved in some activity, or course of action, that will eventually lead to there downfall through there own behavior.

Round robin:

Originated in the British nautical tradition. Sailors wishing to mutiny would sign their names in a circle so the leader could not be identified. Repeatedly taking successive turns in the same order. Often used in minor sports events and competitions to denote a series of games in which all members of a league play each other one time.

Rubbing salt into the wound:

Roman sailors were paid in salt as part of there salarium (or salary from the Latin word Sal).  They did not take kindly if part of their salary was used for �rubbing salt into the wounds� after a battle. Today we use the phrase in the sense that we are adding insult to injury.  

S

Sailing too close to the wind:

Take risks by defying rules. Figuratively, to go to the limits of what decency or propriety. To act so as just to escape the letter or infringement of the law. To take a big risk. The risk in sailing was that the vessel would get too close into the wind and be "taken aback" stopped "dead in the water."

Scraping the bottom of the barrel:

Not a lot of imagination is needed on this one: literally �scraping the bottom of the barrel� by the ship�s cook to remove the last of the pork fat would probably be the closest interpretation. Nowadays, we usually use this term to denote "a last resort," or settling for the lowest form of something.

Scuttlebutt:

A small drinking ladle with scuttles or holes in it to discourage sailors from idle chit chat (scuttlebutt) around the water barrel while there water ration dribbled back in to the barrel. We now have come to associate the word with gossip or the latest news concerning a given situation or person.  

Shake a leg:

Originally show-a-leg. Since women were allowed aboard while in harbor, it was necessary in the mornings to have the occupant of a hammock put a leg out for identification - and the men had to get up and go to work.

Shape up:

A helmsman working off a lee shore would point up and �shape up� to his course in order to avoid the danger. In modern-day usage it is used similar sense to �smarten up� or �pull yourself together.�

Ship shape and Bristol fashion:

The port of Bristol was once famous for importing chocalate, sherry, tobacco and... slaves. Slave ships smelled and could bring disease. They were not allowed in port until they were cleaned and made tidy. Tides, by the way, are predictable and ordered. Before entering Bristol, slave ships were rigorously inspected so as to be all "ship shape and Bristol fashion."

Shiver me Timbers:

Expression of surprise - especially when a ship runs aground. Shiver is used in the sense of "shatter" or splinter into pieces.

Shot across the bows:

A warning signal to bring to heel. Otherwise, worse will follow. When a warship would want to stop an enemy vessel, pirate ship or privateer, they would fire a cannon shot across the bows of the suspect vessel as a warning to heave too or worse would follow. 

Showing your true colours:

Early warships often carried flags from many nations on board in order to elude or deceive the enemy. The rules of civilized warfare called for all ships to hoist their true national ensigns before firing a shot. Someone who finally "shows his true colors" is acting like a warship which hails another ship flying one flag, but then hoisted their own when they got in firing range. 

Skylarking:

Young ratings and midshipmen who would hurl themselves about the upper rigging regardless of gravity and with no sense of danger, would be said to be "skylarking."

Skyscraper:

A small, triangular shaped sail, that was set above the mains on the old square-riggers, to try to scrape -catch- more wind in areas of calm air. The term came ashore to represent anything that was tall enough to "scrape" the sky.

Sling your hook:

A troublesome shipmate might be advised to �sling your hook� or in other words sling your hammock elsewhere. Today we mean (in England anyway) get lost.

Slush fund:

The fat obtained by �scraping the bottom of the barrel� by the ship�s cook and secreted away in his �slush fund� for selling ashore to candle makers, tanneries, etc. The words now describe a rainy-day fund or cash reserve.  

Alternate: The grease (slush) from frying the salt pork on a cruise was kept and sold when the ship returned to port. The money raised was put into a "fund" for the crew.

Son of a Gun:

If paternity was uncertain the child was entered in the log as a "son of a gun." Originally it might have referred to a child born between the gun decks or between a pair of guns. To prevent desertion when in port, rather than let the crew, many of whom had been impressed into service, go ashore, the English Navy let women come aboard ship. They would sling their hammocks between the guns, and so any offspring that resulted were given this name.

Sound off; sounding out:

See "Swinging the lead." when sailors would perform the activity of "sounding out" the depths in shallow or unknown waters, they would "sound off," or shout out the number fathoms. It's more likely to be used in the sense today of strongly letting your views be known.

Square meal:

This expression came from the meals served on square wooden platters used on board ship.  The platters could be easily stowed in racks between meals. Any substantial meal is now described as a �square meal.�

Stave off:

Literally - fend off. Today we use this phrase in the sense of "keeping something away," or "putting off."  

Swinging the lead:

A lead weight attached to a rope with knots tied in it corresponding to fathoms was used to �sound� depths in shallow or unfamiliar waters by swinging it ahead of the vessel and letting it sink to the bottom.  The depth in fathoms was then counted off depending on how many knots were below the surface.  The sailor was required to give a continuous stream of information on the changing depths.  If he got tired of this or was merely a lazy type of person, he would sometimes respond with made-up depths in between real soundings. The practice of giving false information came to be known as �swinging the lead.�  Nowadays it tends to be used more in the sense of wasting time or deliberately doing useless tasks in order to appear busy.

T

Taken aback:

A sailing vessel sailing to close to the wind (pinching) may suddenly be �taken aback� or put �in irons� and be put into a position with the wind blowing on the wrong side of the sails.  This was particularly dangerous for a square- rigged ship off a lee shore or perhaps trying to maneuver in battle. Used in the modern-day sense of being surprised by an unforeseen event.

Take the wind out of his sails:

By sailing to windward of another ship, it is possible to rob the wind from the other ships' sails, thereby causing it to slow down, or stop.

The Devil to Pay:

From "the devil to pay," the act of tarring a seam was called "paying." Even in harbor, this was a hard job, and if you "had the devil to pay," things couldn't get much worse.

There�s a flap on:

Sails don�t flap they flog; however, flags do flap, hence when a ship signals the fleet that they are to attack or that they are under attack, the sailors might say that �there�s a flap on.� Although becoming archaic nowadays, we might still take the phrase to mean any kind of commotion or alarming situation.  

The whole nine yards:

If you look at a typical "square-rigger" you will see that there are three masts with three yards on each mast. So if you had all of the square sails aflying on board, you would have the whole nine yards in operation. ie. everything.

Three Sheets to the Wind:

On a small boat there are three sheets that control the sails. The Main Sheet controls the mainsail, and two sheets that control the headsail the Windward Sheet and the Leeward Sheet. So a person that has three sheets to the wind means that the sheets are flying with the wind i.e. you do not have control of the boat. Much like someone who has three sheets to the wind does not have control over themselves. It is now mostly used as a term denoting druckeness.

Alternate: The sheets (lines) are used to control the sail on a sailing vessel. If all three sheets were loosened, the sail would run free and flap and flutter in the wind without restraint; the vessel would then reel and stagger like a drunken person:

Toe the line:

Not "tow the line." The space between each pair of deck planks in a wooden ship was filled with a packing material called "oakum" and then sealed with a mixture of pitch and tar. The result, from afar, is a series of parallel lines a half foot or so apart, running the length of the deck. Once a week, as a rule, usually on Sunday, a warship's crew was ordered to fall in at quarters -- that is, each group of men into which the crew was divided would line up in formation in a given area of the deck. To insure a neat alignment of each row, the sailors were directed to stand with their toes just touching a particular seam. Another use for these seams was punitive. The youngsters in a ship, be they ship's boys or student officers, might be required to stand with their toes just touching a designated seam for a length of time as punishment for some minor infraction of discipline, such as talking or fidgeting at the wrong time. A tough captain might require the miscreant to stand there, not talking to anyone, in fair weather or foul, for hours at a time. 

To turn a blind eye to:

Admiral Nelson, at the battle of Copenhagen, ignored signals from his own fleet commander, not to attack the Danish fleet at anchor by putting his telescope up to his blind eye and saying �I see no signals.�  Hence the saying today �to turn a blind eye� to something; to deliberately ignore a situation. By the way, what Nelson said is often erroneously reported a "I see no ships." Then there's the joke: "I see no ships only hardships."  

Touch and Go:

When a ship goes over shoal ground, she is said to "touch and go."

Trim one's sails:

To modify or reshape one's policy or opinion to meet the circumstances. A tacking vessel, one sailing close to the wind, would periodically make slight alterations in course due to shifting winds, and the sails might start to flap; therefore, they would trim the sails to suit the conditions and direction.

U

Under the weather:

Refers to a sailor being in the uncomfortable position of having his station at the weather bow and being subject to the pitching of the boat and constant spray blown in his face. Used in the modern-day sense of not feeling well or perhaps even of feeling slightly depressed.  

Alternative: Passengers aboard ships become seasick most frequently during times of rough seas and bad weather. Seasickness is caused by the constant rocking motion of the ship. Sick passengers go below deck, which provides shelter from the weather, but just as importantly the sway is not as great below deck, low on the ship. 

W

Wasters:

Bilge water collected in the waists (amidships or centre) of the bottom of the boat.  Waisters were older, unfit,  disabled or �pressed� sailors who were unsuitable for working aloft and were used for menial shipboard tasks. The term �wasters� today is used to mean layabouts or good-for-nothings.  

Water-logged:

When a vessel is so full of water as to be heavy and unmanageable

When my boat comes in:

a colloquial adoption of the old legal phrase dating from 1536 in "Select Pleas in the Court of the Admiralty" whereby a person/merchant promised to pay within so many days of the safe arrival of his ship.

Wind fall:

A fortuitous rush of wind from the high land that would propel a vessel forward; nowadays - a stroke of good luck.

Won�t wear it:

If a sailing vessel turns away from being close hauled (sails in tight) and keeps the sails in that position while attempting a gybe (turning the vessel below the wind so that the wind passes over the stern from one quarter of the boat to another) the vessel will do so more easily if the sails are freed; otherwise, she �won�t wear it.�  In other words, a sailing vessel with sails in tight will want to point towards the wind and not fall off in order to complete a gybe. In modern-day usage we usually mean by this phrase that a person will not put up with a situation.

Z

Zig-Zag:

Refers to the action of a sailing boat tacking (especially short tacks) to windward. A sailing vessel can only sail to windward by tacking back and forth through 90 degrees (45 deg either side of the wind direction).

The nautical explanations for the following words are pending:

(Please feel free to contribute)

 

catch my drift

close quarters

cross the line

cruiser

deadwood

dog's body

flotsan and jetson 

give leeway

great guns

halcyon days

junk (chunk)

logging on

lower the boom

main stay 

make a clean sweep

money for old rope

on another tack

plain sailing

run afoul of

snub

standoff

stranded

take someone down a peg 

weather a storm

Some of the websites contributing to the content of this page: 

[Idioms]

Nautical jargon in everyday speech by Alec Gill

[Mariners Log]

Salty Talk - Tracing Phrases With Nautical Roots

[Sailing Terms]

Sailing Terms Explained For 'Lubbers by Vance Broad

[Origin of Phrases]

Phrases with Origins - Nautical by Chuck Moreland

[Nautical Expressions]

Nautical Expressions in the Vernacular by Gibbons Burke