here is a breakdown of some nautical terminology that might come in handy for those who haven't spent any more time in the drink than ten minutes on bath night.
Nautical Terminology
Abaft: On the after side of. Further towards the stern.
Aboard: On board. In, into or inside a vessel. Close alongside.
Abyss: That volume of ocean lying below 300 fathoms from surface.
Adrift: Unattached to the shore or ground and at the mercy of wind and tide. Colloquially used to mean missing from its place; absent from place of duty; broken away from fastening.
Against the Sun: Anti-clockwise circular motion. Left-handed ropes are coiled down in this way.
Alongside: Close beside a ship, wharf or jetty.
Altar: Step in a dry dock, on which lower ends of shores rest.
Amok: Homicidal frenzy that sometimes affects Malayans and other eastern peoples.
Anchor Ice: Ice, of any form, that is aground in the sea.
Apeak: Said of anchor when cable is taut and vertical.
A-stay: Said of anchor cable when its line of lead approximates a continuation of line of fore stay.
Athwart: Across. Transversely.
A-trip: Said of anchor immediately it is broken out of the ground.
Avast: Order to stop, or desist from, an action.
Awash: Water washing over.
Barque: Sailing vessel with three or more masts: fore and aft rigged on aftermast, square rigged on all others.
Barquentine: Sailing vessel with three or more masts. Square rigged on foremast, fore and aft rigged on all others.
Barratry: Any wrongful act knowingly done by the master or crew of a vessel to the detriment of the owner of either ship or cargo; and which was done without knowledge or consent of owner or owners.
Bar Taut: Said of a rope when it is under such tension that it is practically rigid.
Beams Ends: Vessel said to be "on her beam ends" when she is lying over so much that her deck beams are nearly vertical.
Bear Off: To thrust away; to hold off. Order given to bowman of boat when he is required to push boat's head away from jetty, gangway or other fixture at which boat is alongside. Order given, also, when it is required to thrust away, or hold off, an approaching object.
Before the Mast: Said of a man who goes to sea as a rating, and lives forward. Forward of a mast.
Belay: To make fast a rope by turning up with it around a cleat, belaying pin, bollard, etc. Often used by seamen in the sense of arresting, stopping or canceling; e.g. "Belay the last order'.
Bergy Bits: Pieces of ice, about the size of a small house, that have broken off a glacier, or from hummocky ice.
Berth: Place in which a vessel is moored or secured. Space around a vessel at anchor, and in which she will swing. An allotted accommodation in a ship. Employment aboard a ship. To berth a vessel is to place he in a desired or required position.
Beset: Said of a vessel when she is entirely surrounded by ice.
Bleed the Monkey: Surreptitiously to remove spirit from a keg or cask by making a small hole and sucking through a straw.
Boat: Small craft not normally suitable for sea passages but useful in sheltered waters and for short passages.
Bone: Foam at stem of a vessel underway. When this is unusually noticeable she is said to "have a bone in her teeth".
Booby Hatch: Sliding cover that has to be pushed away to allow passage to or from a store room, cabin of small craft, or crew's quarters.
Bound: Proceeding in a specified direction, or to a specified place.
Bouse: To heave, or haul, downwards on a rope. Originally, and strictly, heave meant an upward pull, haul meant a horizontal pull, bouse meant a downward pull: but these distinctions have not survived.
Bowse: To pull downward on a rope or fall.
Brash: Ice broken into pieces, about 6 ft. in diameter and projecting very little above sea level.
Breach: Said of waves that break over a vessel.
Breast: Mooring line leading approximately perpendicular to ship's fore and aft line.
Breast Rope: Mooring rope, leading from bow or quarter, at about right angles to ship's fore and aft line.
Brig: Vessel with two masts and square rigged on both of them.
Brigantine: Originally, a ship of brigands, or pirates. Up to end of 19th century was a two-masted vessel square rigged on fore-mast and main topmast, but with fore and aft mainsail. Latterly, a two-masted vessel with foremast square rigged, and mainmast fore and aft rigged.
Brow: Substantial gangway used to connect ship with shore when in a dock or alongside a wharf.
Bucko: A bullying and tyrannical officer.
Bulkhead: Transverse, or fore and aft, vertical partition in a vessel to divide interior into compartments. Not necessarily water-tight. Increases rigidity of structure, localizes effects of fire and, when watertight, localizes inflow of water.
Buoyage: The act of placing buoys. 2. Establishment of buoys and buoyage systems. Applied collectively to buoys placed or established.
Burgoo: Seaman's name for oatmeal porridge. First mentioned in Edward Coxere's Adventures by Sea" (1656)
By the Board: Overboard and by the ship's side.
Cable: Nautical unit of distance, having a standard value of 1/10th of a nautical mile (608 ft.). For practical purposes a value of 200 yards is commonly used.
Calving: Breaking away of a mass of ice from a glacier or iceberg.
Camber: Arched form of a deck or beam to shed the water. Standard camber for weather decks is 1/50th of vessel's breadth.
Camel: Hollow vessel of iron, steel or wood, that is filled with water and sunk under a vessel. When water is pumped out, the buoyancy of camel lifts ship. Usually employed in pairs. Very valuable aid to salvage operations. At one time were usual means of lifting a vessel over a bar or sandbank. Were used in Rotterdam in 1690.
Can Hooks: Two flat hooks running freely on a wire or chain sling. Hooks are put under chime of casks, weight is taken on chain sling or wire. Weight of lift prevents unhooking.
Captain: Rank in R.N. between Commander and Commodore. In Merchant Navy is a courtesy title for a Master Mariner in command of a ship.
Careen: To list a vessel so that a large part of her bottom is above water. Formerly done to remove weed and marine growth, to examine the bottom, to repair it and to put on preservative or anti-fouling. Still done with small craft.
Carry on: To continue sailing under the same canvas despite the worsening of the wind.
Catching up Rope: Light rope secured to a buoy to hold vessel while stronger moorings are attached.
Catenary: Originally, length of chain put in middle of a tow rope to damp sudden stresses. Now applied to any weight put in a hawser for same purpose. 2). Curve formed by chain hanging from two fixed points.
Cat's Skin: Light, warm wind on surface of sea.
Check: To ease a rope a little, and then belay it.
Checking: Slacking a rope smartly, carefully and in small amounts.
Chuch: Name sometimes given to a fairlead.
Clock Calm: Absolutely calm weather with a perfectly smooth sea.
Close Aboard: Close alongside, Very near.
Colimation: Correct alignment of the optical parts of an instrument.
Crack on: To carry sail to full limit of strength of masts, yards, and tackles.
Craft: Vessel or vessels of practically any size or type.
Crank: Said of a vessel with small stability, whether due to build or to stowage of cargo.
Creep: To search for a sunken object by towing a grapnel along bottom.
Crew: Personnel, other than Master, who serve on board a vessel. In some cases a differentiation between officers and ratings is made; but officers are "crew" in a legal sense.
Crimp: Person who decoys a seaman from his ship and gains money by robbing and, or, forcing him on board another vessel in want of men.
Cruise: Voyage made in varying directions. To sail in various directions for pleasure, in search, or for exercise.
Culage: Laying up of a vessel, in a dock, for repairs.
Customary Dispatch: Usual and accustomed speed.
Dead on End: Said of wind when exactly ahead; and of another vessel when her fore and aft line coincides with observer's line of sight.
Deratisation: Extermination of all rats aboard a vessel.
Dingbat: Slang term for a small swab made of rope and used for drying decks.
Ditty Bag: Small canvas bag in which a seaman keeps his small stores and impedimenta.
Ditty Box: Small wooden box, with lock and key, in which seamen of R.N. keep sentimental valuables, stationery, and sundry small stores.
Diurnal: Daily. Occurring once a day.
Donkeyman: Rating who tends a donkey boiler, or engine, and assists in engine-room.
Donkey's Breakfast: Merchant seaman's name for his bed or mattress.
Drift Ice: Ice in an area containing several small pieces of floating ice, but with total water area exceeding total area of ice.
Dunnage: Any material, permanent or temporary, that is used to ensure good stowage, and protect cargo during carriage.
Fair: To adjust to proper shape or size.
Fairway: Navigable water in a channel, harbour or river.
Fake: One circle of a coil or rope. To coil or arrange a rope ornamentally with each fake flat, or almost flat, on the deck, usually in a circle or figure-of-eight pattern. Sometimes called "Cheesing down".
Fang: Valve of a pump box. 2. To prime a pump.
Farewell Buoy: Buoy at seaward end of channel leading from a port.
Fast: Hawser by which a vessel is secured. Said of a vessel when she is secured by fasts.
Fast Ice: Ice extending seaward from land to which it is attached.
Fathom: Six feet (1.83 metres); length covered by a man's outstretched arms. Fathom of wood is a cubical volume 6'x 6'x 6' = 216 cu. ft.
Feather Spray: Foaming water that rises upward immediately before stem of any craft being propelled through water.
Fiddles: Wooden fittings clamped to meal tables in heavy weather. They limit movement of dishes, plates, glasses, etc.
Field Ice: Ice pack whose limits cannot be seen from ship.
Flake: To coil a rope so that each coil, on two opposite sides, lies on deck alongside previous coil; so allowing rope to run freely.
Fleeting: Shifting the moving block of a tackle from one place of attachment to another place farther along. Moving a man, or men, from one area of work to area next to it.
Flotsam, Flotson: Goods and fittings that remain floating after a wreck.
Fly Boat: Fast boat used for passenger and cargo traffic in fairly sheltered waters.
Fothering: Closing small leaks in a vessel's underwater body by drawing a sail, filled with oakum, underneath her.
Founder: To fill with water and sink.
Frazil: Small, cake-shaped pieces of ice floating down rivers. Name is given, also, to newly-formed ice sheet off coast of Labrador.
Freshen the Nip: To veer or haul on a rope, slightly, so that a part subject to nip or chafe is moved away and a fresh part takes its place.
Full and By: Sailing close-hauled with all sails drawing.
Furniture: The essential fittings of a ship, such as masts, davits, derricks, winches, etc.
Gilliwatte: Name given to Captain's boat in 17th century.
Glory Hole: Any small enclosed space in which unwanted items are stowed when clearing up decks.
Gob Line: Back rope of a martingale. 2. A length of rope used in a tug to bowse in the towrope. Gog rope.
Growler: Small iceberg that has broken away from a larger berg.
Haul: To pull.
Hawser: Flexible steel wire rope, or fibre rope, used for hauling warping or mooring.
Hazing: Giving a man a dog's life by continual work, persistent grumbling and petty tyranny.
Head Fast: Mooring rope leading forward from fore end of a vessel.
Headway: Forward movement of a ship through the water.
Heave: To lift.
Heavy Floe: Piece of floating ice more than three feet thick.
Hoist: To lift.
Horse Marine: Unhandy seaman.
Hove: Heaved.
Hoveller: Person who assists in saving life or property from a vessel wrecked near the coast. Often applied to a small boat that lies in narrow waters ready to wait on a vessel, if required.
Hove To: Lying nearly head to wind and stopped, and maintaining this position by trimming sail or working engines.
Hull Down: Said of a distant ship when her hull is below horizon and her masts and upper works are visible.
Hulling: Floating, but at mercy of wind and sea. 2. Piercing the hull with a projectile. 3. Taking in sail during a calm.
Idler: Member of a crew who works all day but does not keep night watches: e.g. carpenter, sailmaker.
Indulgence Passenger: Person given a passage in one of H.M. ships; usually on compassionate grounds.
Jack Nastyface: Nickname for an unpopular seaman. Originally, nom de plume of a seaman who wrote a pamphlet about conditions in Royal Navy in early years of 19th century.
Jerque: Search of a vessel, by Customs authorities, for unentered goods.
Jetsam: Goods that have been cast out of a ship and have sunk.
Jimmy Bungs: Nickname for a ship's cooper.
Jolly Boat: General purpose boat of a ship.
Keckling: Winding small rope around a cable or hawser to prevent damage by chafing. 2. The rope with which a cable is keckled.
Kedging: Moving a vessel by laying out a small anchor and then heaving her to it.
Kelter: Good order and readiness.
Kenning: Sixteenth-century term for a sea distance at which high land could be observed from a ship. Varied between 14 and 22 miles according to average atmospheric conditions in a given area.
Kentledge: Permanent pip iron ballast specially shaped and placed along each side of keelson. Name is sometimes given to any iron ballast.
Key of Keelson: Fictitious article for which greenhorns at sea are sometimes sent.
Killick: Nautical name for an anchor. Originally, was a stone used as an anchor.
Kippage: Former name for the equipment of a vessel, and included the personnel.
Knots per Hour: An expression never used by careful seamen, being tautological and illogical.
Kraken: Fabulous sea monster supposed to have been seen off coasts of America and Norway. Sometimes mistaken for an island.
Lading: That which is loaded into a ship. The act of loading.
Lagan: Jettisoned goods that sink and are buoyed for subsequent recovery.
Lanyard: Rope or cord used for securing or attaching.
Large: Said of vessel sailing with wind abaft the beam but not right aft.
Lascar: Native of east India employed as a seaman.
Lask: To sail large, with wind about four points abaft beam.
Lay Aboard: To come alongside.
Laying on Oars: Holding oars at right angles to fore and aft line of boat with blades horizontal and parallel to surface of water. Is used also as a sarcastic term for idling, or not pulling one's weight.
Lay Out: Order to men at mast to extend themselves at intervals along a yard. 2. To keep a vessel at a certain place until a specified time has elapsed.
Lay the Land: To cause the land to sink below horizon by sailing away from it.
Lazarette, Lazaretto: Storeroom containing provisions of a ship. 2. Ship or building in which persons in quarantine are segregated.
League: Measure of distance three miles in length. One-twentieth of a degree of latitude.
Lee Lurch: Heavy roll to leeward with a beam wind.
Lie: To remain in a particular place or position.
Lie By: To remain nearly alongside another vessel.
Lie To: To shop a ship and lie with wind nearly ahead.
Light Hand: Youthful but smart seaman.
Light Port: Scuttle or porthole fitted with glass.
Limber Holes: Holes in floor timbers, or tank side-brackets, through which bilge water flows to pump suction.
Line: A light rope or hawser. Small rope used for a specific purpose.
Lipper: Small sea that rises just above bows or gunwale.
Lobscouse: Nautical stew made with preserved meat and vegetables.
Lop: Small but quick-running sea.
Lubber: A clumsy and unskilled man.
Lumper: Man employed in unloading ships in harbour, or in taking a ship from one port to another. Paid "lump" sum for services.
Lurch: Sudden and long roll of a ship in a seaway.
Lying to: Said of a vessel when stopped and lying near the wind in heavy weather.
Mariner: In general, a person employed in a sea-going vessel. In some cases, applied to a seaman who works on deck.
Mary the Gunner's Daughter: Old Navy nickname for a flogging, particularly when across a gun.
Master: Merchant Navy officer in command of ship. Name was given, formerly, to the navigating officer of H.M. ships.
Mate: An officer assistant to Master. A "Chief Officer". From time immemorial he has been responsible for stowage and care of cargo and organization of work of seamen, in addition to navigating duties.
Middle Ground: Shoal area between two navigational channels.
Moor: To secure a ship in position by two or more anchors and cables. 2. To attach a vessel to a buoy, or buoys. 3. To secure a vessel by attaching ropes to positions ashore.
Narrow Channel Rule: Rule of Collision Regulations. Requires a vessel navigating a narrow channel to keep to that side of mid-channel that is on her starboard hand.
Nipped: Said of a vessel when pressed by ice on both sides.
Nog: Treenail in heel of a shore supporting a ship on the slip.
Nunatak: Isolated rocky peak rising from a sheet of inland ice.
Off and Fair: Order to take off a damaged member of a vessel, to restore it to its proper shape and condition, and to replace it in position.
Offing: Sea area lying between visible horizon and a line midway between horizon and observer on the shore. To keep an offing is to keep a safe distance away from the coast.
Overhaul: To examine with a view to repairing or refitting. 2. To overtake. 3. To extend a tackle so that distance between blocks is increased.
Pack-Ice: Numbers of large pieces of floating ice that have come together and lie more or less in contact.
Paddy's Purchase: Seaman's scornful name for any lead of a rope by which effort is lost or wasted. "Paddy's purchase, spunyarn over a nail."
Painter: Rope at stem of boat for securing it or for towing purposes. 2. Chain by which an Admiralty pattern anchor is secured in place. "Shank Painter."
Pancake Ice: Small, circular sheets of newly-formed ice that do not impede navigation.
Parclose: Limber hole of a ship.
Parting Strop: Strop inserted between two hawsers, and weaker than the hawsers, so that strop, and not hawsers, will part with any excessive strain. 2. Special strop used for holding cable while parting it.
Pay Off: To discharge a crew and close Articles of Agreement of a merchant ship. 2. To terminate commission of H.M.ship. 3. Said of ship's head when it moves away from wind, especially when tacking.
Peggy: Merchant Navy nickname for seaman whose turn of duty it is to keep the messing place clean.
Petty Officer: Rank intermediate between officer and rating, and in charge of ratings. Usually messed apart from ratings, and has special privileges appropriate to his position.
Piggin: Very small wooden pail having one stave prolonged to form a handle. Used as a bailer in a boat.
Pinnace: Formerly, small, two-masted sailing vessel sometimes with oars. Now rowing, sailing or mechanically-propelled boat of R.N. Is diagonal built: 36ft. in length.
Pool: Enclosed, or nearly enclosed sheet of water. 2. Fluctuating congregation of men from which can be drawn hands required for manning ships, and to which can be added men available for manning.
Pooping: Said of a vessel, or of the sea, when following seas sweep inboard from astern.
Popple: A short, confused sea.
Port Hole: Small aperture, usually circular, in ship's side. Used for lighting, ventilating and other purposes.
Primage: Money paid by shipper to Master of ship for diligence in care of cargo. Not now paid to Master, but added to freight. Amount was usually about 1% of freight.
Procuration: The acting of one person on behalf of another. 2. A document authorizing one person to act on behalf of another.
Propogation: Movement of crest of a progressive wave.
Protest: Statement under oath, made before a notary public, concerning a actual or anticipated loss, damage or hindrance in the carrying out of a marine adventure.
Punt: Small craft propelled by pushing on a pole whose lower end rests on the bottom of the waterway. 2. To propel a boat by resting end of a pole on bottom of waterway. 3. Copper punt.
Puoy: Spiked pole used for propelling a barge or boat by resting its outboard end on an unyielding object.
Purser's Grin: Hypocritical smile, or sneer.
Quarter: That part of a vessel between the beam and the stern.
Quarter Boat: Boat carried at davits on quarter of ship, and kept ready for immediate use when at sea.
Quarter Spring: Rope led forward, from quarter of a vessel, to prevent her from ranging astern; or to heave her ahead.
Quay: Artificial erection protruding into the water to facilitate loading and discharge of cargo, landing and embarkation of passengers, repairing or refitting of ships.
Radome: A bun-shaped cover placed over a radar scanner to prevent risk of fouling and to protect it from the weather.
Rafting: Overlapping of edges of two ice-floes, so that one floe is partly supported by the other.
Reach: Straight stretch of water between two bends in a river or channel.
Rector: Name given to Master of a ship in 11th and 12 centuries.
Refit: Removal of worn or damaged gear and fitting of new gear in replacement.
Return Port: The proper return port of a discharged seaman.
Rooming: The navigable water to leeward of a vessel.
Rummage: Originally meant "to stow cargo". Now, means "to search a ship carefully and thoroughly".
Run Out: To put out a mooring, hawser or line from a ship to a point of attachment outside her.
Sailing Ice: Small masses of drift ice with waterways in which a vessel can sail.
Sailor: Man or boy employed in sailing deep-water craft. Word is sometimes loosely used to include men who go to sea. Used officially to denote a seaman serving on deck. At one time was a man with previous sea experience, but who was not rated able seaman.
Sallying: Rolling a vessel, that is slightly ice-bound, so as to break the surface ice around her. May sometimes be done when a vessel is lightly aground, but not ice-bound.
Scuttle Butt: Covered cask, having lid in head, in which fresh water for current use was formerly carried.
Sea Battery: Assault upon a seaman, by Master, while at sea.
Sea Boat: Ship's boat kept ready for immediate lowering while at sea: sometimes called "accident boat". 2. Applied to a ship when assessing her behaviour in a seaway.
Sea Captain: Master of a sea-going vessel. Certificated officer competent and qualified to be master of a sea-going vessel.
Sea Dog: Old and experienced seaman. 2.Dog fish. 3. Elizabethan privateer.
Seafarer: One who earns his living by service at sea.
Sea Lawyer: Nautical name for an argumentative person.
Seamanlike: In a manner, or fashion, befitting a seaman.
Sea Smoke: Vapour rising like steam or smoke from the sea caused by very cold air blowing over it. Frost-smoke, steam-fog, warm water fog, water smoke.
Second Greaser: Old nickname for a second mate.
Seiche: Short period oscillation in level of enclosed, or partly enclosed, area of water when not due to the action of tide-raising forces.
Sewed: Said of a vessel when water level has fallen from the level at which she would float. Also said of the water that has receded and caused a vessel to take the ground.
Shallop: Small boat for one or two rowers. 2. Small fishing vessel with foresail, boom mainsail, and mizen trysail. 3. A sloop.
Sheet: Rope or purchase by which clew of a sail is adjusted and controlled when sailing.
Shelf-Ice: Land ice, either afloat or on ground, that is composed of layers of sow that have become firm but have not turned to glacier ice.
Shellback: An old and experienced seaman.
Ship: A sea-going vessel. 2. Vessel having a certificate of registry. Technically, a sailing vessel having three or more masts with yards crossed on all of them. In Victorian times, any vessel with yards on three masts was termed a "ship" even if other masts were fore and aft rigged. To ship, is to put on or into a vessel; to put any implement or fitting into its appropriate holder.
Shipmaster: A person in command of a ship. A person certified as competent to command a ship. A master mariner.
Shoot Ahead: To move ahead swiftly. To move ahead of another vessel quickly when underway.
Short Stay: Said of a vessel's anchor, or cable when the amount of cable out is not more than one-and-a-half times the depth of water.
Sighting: Observing with the eye. Applied to document, means examining and signing as evidence of satisfaction as to its authenticity.
Sighting the Bottom: Drydocking, beaching, or careening a vessel and carefully examining the bottom with a view to ascertaining any damage it may have.
Signed Under Protest: Words incorporated when signing under duress and not concurring entirely with import of document signed, and after stating grounds of non-concurrence.
Singling Up: Taking in all ropes not wanted, so that only a minimum number of ropes will require casting off when leaving a berth or buoy.
Sixteen Bells: Eight double strokes on ship's bell; customarily struck at midnight when new year commences. Eight bells are for 24 hours of passing year, eight bells for 00 hours of New Year.
Slob: Loose and broken ice in bays, or along exposed edges of floes.
Slop Chest: Chest, or compartment, in which is stowed clothing for issue to crew.
Slop Room: Compartment in which clothing for issue to crew is stowed.
Smelling the Ground: Said of a vessel when her keel is close to the bottom and all but touching it.
Snorter: Alternative name for "Snotter". 2. A very high wind.
Snub: To stop suddenly a rope or cable that is running.
Snubber Line: Rope used for checking a vessel's way when warping her into a dock or basin.
Soft Tack: Fresh bread.
Son of a Gun: Seaman who was born aboard a warship. As this was once considered to be one of the essentials of the perfect seaman it has long been a complimentary term.
Soogee Moogee/Sujee-mujee: Cleansing powder used for cleaning wood and paintwork.
Spanking: Applied to a wind, or movement of a vessel, to denote brisk and lively.
Spile Hole: Small hole bored in cask or barrel to allow air to enter when emptying.
Spindrift: Finely-divided water swept from crest of waves by strong winds.
Splice Main Brace: To issue an extra ration of rum. The main brace, often a tapered rope, was spliced only in the most exceptional circumstances.
Spooning: Running directly before wind and sea.
Spray: Water blown, or thrown, into the air in particles.
Spring: Rope from after part of a vessel led outside and forward to a point of attachment outside vessel. By heaving on it ship can be moved ahead. Sometimes led to anchor cable, for casting ship's head. 2. Tendency of a vessel's head to come nearer to wind. 3. The opening of a seam. 4. Partial fracture in a mast or spar.
Spume: Froth of foam of the sea.
Staith: Elevated structure from which coal and other cargoes can be loaded into a vessel. Name is also given to a landing-place, or loading-place.
Stauch: Said of a vessel that is firm, strong, and unlikely to develop leaks.
Stave off: To bear off with a staff, boathook, long spar, etc.
Stemming: Maintaining position over the ground when underway in a river or tidal stream. 2. Reporting a vessel's arrival in dock to the dock authority, or Customs.
Stern Sheets: That space, in a boat, abaft after thwart; or between after thwart and backboard.
Storis: Large drift ice, more than two years old, that passes down the south-east coast of Greenland.
Storm Bound: Confined to an anchorage or haven through being unable to proceed because of stormy weather.
Stow: To pack compactly and safely.
Stretch Off the Land: Old sailing ship term for taking "forty winks".
Suck the Monkey: Originally, to suck rum from a coconut -- into which it had been (illicitly) inserted, the end of the nut resembling a monkey's face. Later, illicitly to suck spirit from a cask, usually through a straw.
Sujee;Suji-muji (spelling various): Soap or cleaning-powder mixed with fresh water. To wash paint with sujee.
Sun over Foreyard: Nautical equivalent to "Time we had a drink."
Swab: Seaman's mop for drying decks. Made of old rope unlaid and seized on the bight; about four feet in length. Sometimes made smaller and seized to a wooden handle for putting highly-alkaline solutions on deck for cleansing purposes.
Swallow the Anchor: To leave the sea and settle ashore.
Sweat Up: To haul on a rope to hoist the last possible inch or so.
Swell: Succession of long and unbroken waves that are not due to meteorological conditions in the vicinity. Generally due to wind at a distance from the position.
Tally Board: Board, bearing instructions, that comes to a wrecked ship with a life-saving rocket line.
Tally Book: Book in which is kept a reckoning of items of cargo received or discharged from a hatch or vessel.
Tanky: Petty officer in R.N. whose duty is to look after fresh-water tanks. At one time these tanks were under the charge of the navigating officer, who shared the nickname.
Teem: To pour. To empty.
Tenth Wave: Commonly believed to be higher than preceding nine waves. Although it is true that wind effect causes one wave to override another, and so make a larger wave, it is not established that the eleventh wave will do this; so making a larger tenth wave. In some places the fifth wave is consistently larger.
Thole, Thole Pin: Metal or wooden peg inserted in gunwale of a boat for oar to heave against when rowing without crutch or rowlock.
Three Sheets in the Wind: Said of a man under the influence of drink. A ship with three sheets in the wind would "stagger to and fro like a drunken man". Conversely, a drunken man staggers to and fro like a ship with three sheets in the wind.
Ticket: Colloquial name for a "Certificate of Competency". Generally looked upon as a disparaging name but, etymologically speaking, is perfectly appropriate.
Tom Cox's Traverse: Work done by a man who bustles about doing nothing. Usually amplified by adding "running twice round the scuttle butt and once round the longboat".
Touch and Go: To touch the ground, with the keel, for a minute or so and then proceed again.
Trice: To haul up by pulling downwards on a rope that is led through a block or sheave.
Trick: A spell of duty connected with the navigation of a vessel; more particularly, at the wheel or look-out.
Turn: Complete encirclement of a cleat, bollard, or pin by a rope.
Turn up: To fasten a rope securely by taking turns around a cleat or bollard. Under Foot: Said of anchor when it is under ship's forefoot, and cable is nearly up and down.
Under Way: Not attached to the shore or the ground in any manner. Usually, but not necessarily, moving through or making way through the water.
Unmoor: To cast off hawsers by which a vessel is attached to a buoy or wharf. To weigh one anchor when riding to two anchors. To remove a mooring swivel when moored to two cables.
Unship: To remove from a ship. To remove an item from its place.
Up and Down: Said of cable when it extends vertically and taut from anchor to hawsepipe.
Van: The leading ship, or ships, in a fleet or squadron.
Venture: An enterprise in which there is a risk of loss.
Vessel: Defined by Merchant Shipping Act as "any ship or boat, or other description of vessel, used in navigation".
Vigia: Uncharted navigational danger that has been reported but has not been verified by survey.
Vise: Endorsement on a document as evidence that it has been sighted, examined, and found correct by a proper authority.
Wake: The water immediately astern of a moving vessel. It is disturbed by vessel's motion through it and by the subsequent filling up of the cavity made.
"Warming the Bell": Striking "eight bells' a little before time at the end of a watch.
Warp: The longitudinal threads in canvas and other textiles. 2. Hawser used when warping. Originally, was a rope smaller than a cable. 3. The line by which a boat rides to a sea anchor. 4. Mooring ropes.
Wash: Broken water at bow of a vessel making way. 2. Disturbed water made by a propeller or paddle wheel. 3. Blade of an oar.
Washing Down: Said of a vessel when she is shipping water on deck and it is running off through scuppers and freeing ports.
Watch Bell: Bell used for striking the half hours of each watch.
Water Breaker: Small cask used for carrying drinking water in a boat.
Waveson: Goods floating on surface of sea after a wreck.
Way: Vessel's inertia of motion through the water.
"Way Enough": Order given to a boat's crew when going alongside under oars. Denotes that boat has sufficient way, and that oars are to be placed inside the boat.
Weather Board: Windward side of a vessel.
Well Found: Said of a vessel that is adequately fitted, stored, and furnished.
Wetted Surface: The whole of the external surface of a vessel's outer plating that is in contact with the water in which she is floating.
Wharfinger: One who owns or manages a wharf.
Where Away?: Esquire addressed to a look-out man, demanding precise direction of an object he has sighted and reported.
Whistling for Wind: Based on a very old tradition that whistling at sea will cause a wind to rise.
Whistling Psalms to the Taffrail: Nautical phrase that means giving good advice that will not be taken.
White Horses: Fast-running waves with white foam crests.
Wholesome: Said of craft that behaves well in bad weather.
Wind Dog: An incomplete rainbow, or part of a rainbow. It is supposed to indicate approach of a storm.
Winding: Turning a vessel end for end between buoys, or along-side a wharf or pier.
Without Prejudice: Words used when a statement, comment, or action is not to be taken as implying agreement or disagreement, or affecting in any way a matter in dispute, or under consideration.
Wrack: To destroy by wave action. 2. Seaweed thrown ashore by sea.
Yard Arm: That part of yard that lies between the lift and the outboard end of the yard.
Yaw: To lurch, or swing, to either side of an intended course.
Key of Keelson--kinda like an 18th century mail buoy?
tins of elbow grease, sky hooks, long weights, and tartan paint to name but a few others
I don't see:
Starbord and Port?
Starboard - Right side of the vessel
Port - Left side of the vessel or a location where a ship can moor
Couple more:
Tack - Sailing upwind via angles to the source of the wind.
Come About - Turning around, or turning on a tack.
Also, I thought:
Shellback was a person who circled the globe shipboard... yes, still an experienced sailor :)
Starboard - Right side of the vessel
Port - Left side of the vessel or a location where a ship can moor
Just to nitpick...
Starboard - The right side of the vessel when one faces forward.
Port - The left side of the vessel when one faces forward.
:-P
In contemporary parlance, a "shellback" is one of us old salts who has crossed the equator at sea. If you're not a shellback, you're a "wog." If you crossed the equator where it intersects the International Date Line, then you're a golden shellback. And if you've sailed across the Arctic Circle, then you've joined the "Order of the Blue Nose."
Is the nautical dictionary above from a website? If so, can you cite it, so we can have a look for ourselves after this thread is six feet under?
Oh, and don't forget the bucket of water slugs and the relative bearing grease! That one works on midshipmen all the time!
Oh, and don't forget the bucket of water slugs and the relative bearing grease! That one works on midshipmen all the time!
i'll have to look it up... it has been a while since i added it to my gathered info.
Kendrik
Starboard - Right side of the vessel
Port - Left side of the vessel or a location where a ship can moorCouple more:
Tack - Sailing upwind via angles to the source of the wind.
Come About - Turning around, or turning on a tack.Also, I thought:
Shellback was a person who circled the globe shipboard... yes, still an experienced sailor :)
originally the two sides of a ship were starboard and larboard, port referred to a loading hatch in the side of the ship through which goods could be transferred from the dockside into the hold. as you can imagine in battle or high weather the two were pretty hard to distinguish from one another.
This thread is a great addition. Thanks to all those who shared their terms.
I had a player in my AOW campaign seek out some mining terminology in order to add some depth to his PC's language. We were all disappointed when he died in the Whispering Cairn.
So what does Keelhaul mean then?
Oh, and the phrase "scuttlebutt" being gossip or information pertains to the scuttlebutt was the office water cooler back in those days, and that's where everyone gathered to gossip, and scheme, and brew mutinies and such.
Well, to clarify, the modern Navy calls water coolers scuttlebutts. Before the advent of refrigeration (and shipboard desalinization plants), it was just a barrel full of water where the crew gathered several times a day to receive their water ration. The social function, of course, was the same.
Oh, and the phrase "scuttlebutt" being gossip or information pertains to the scuttlebutt was the office water cooler back in those days, and that's where everyone gathered to gossip, and scheme, and brew mutinies and such.Well, to clarify, the modern Navy calls water coolers scuttlebutts. Before the advent of refrigeration (and shipboard desalinization plants), it was just a barrel full of water where the crew gathered several times a day to receive their water ration. The social function, of course, was the same.
i found the website i drew the info from....
http://www.boattalk.com/dictionary/index.htm
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A few more phrases from the navy...
Deck - the levels on a ship
Ladder - the stairs up and down to each deck
Bilge - the very bottom of a ship (where the crap and other dirt, oil, etc, accumulates)
What Navy were you in? In MY Navy we called those things:
Deck-Flatty ScrubbadonkLadder-Long Jimmy Climbrightley
Bilge-Greenhorn's Dunkpot
Those of us who count ourselves salts could probably pontificate on naval linguistics all too extensively, but one item in the lexicon that might interest everyone: the expression "the devil to pay" refers to caulking the long seam along the ship's keel with hot tar. Crawling in the space under the lowest cargo deck, in the nastiest part of the bilge, with buckets of hot tar. Not fun work. Punishment from the bosun, most likely.
Now let's see if the authors read this thread and get there nautical terminology right. My head almost exploded after readingg the first entry!
At least you will be able to rat on them if they get anything wrong.
What does it mean when the pirate tells you: "It's your turn in the barrel."?
Creative Director
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Growing up the son of a commercial fisherman (and spending a few summers working with dad on the boat) = I'm fairly sure I'll be able to catch any of the errors before they go to print.
Remember: When you face the bow, port is to the left, because it has the same number of letters. Which means, since starbord is the one left, it's right to say starbord is right because it's left.
"Prepare to be boarded"--I think that one got a few sailors (well, naval aviators, perhaps they don't count) in big trouble back in the early 90s.
As for "in the barrel"--I'm not sure where it comes from, but in the Navy we used to use that expression to indicate it was our turn to be inspected.
Dead reckoning.
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Dead_reckoning
rise. RISE. RISE! it...is....aliiiive!...
Thanks for bringing this back to the top of the boards. Unfortunately, as of 5 October, the domain name www.boattalk.com has expired and they have not renewed it. So, if you want the huge list at the top, you'll just have to copy it to a file on your own computer as I just did.
Remember: When you face the bow, port is to the left, because it has the same number of letters. Which means, since starbord is the one left, it's right to say starbord is right because it's left.
Bah, my viking ancestors cry out to say that starboard is where you have the steering oar (precursor to both the rudder and wheel) and that you steer with your right hand. Much simpler.
Dead reckoning.
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Dead_reckoning
"Dead" reckoning is actually "ded." reckoning, as in "deduced reckoning." Basically you are deducing from your logged courses and speeds, plus your estimation of set and drift, where you have gotten yourself to. A simple problem of vector analysis.
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Originally I had some thoughts on Sasserine Slang that got lost in the tangle but I am planning on using these and lots more in my home campaign.
"Shark" - Pirate, buccanneer, raider, etc.
As in: "I tell ye, dem's water's filled with sharks."
Or: "Look at the teeth on this young shark!" equivalent of: "The lad has balls" or some such.
"Prim Crabcatcher" - an unseaworthy vessel, and a high insult to her captain.
As in: "Will ye look at dis Prim Crabcatcher! Oh! This is yer ship is it? No offense sir, though if yer planning to sail her to the Isle of Dread, yer a braver shark than I gave ya credit for! HAHAAAHAHA!"
NOTE: Crabcatcher sometimes is used interchangeably as "mouth" and "private region," the source of many delightful puns and insults.
"To the deeps" - meet one's demise, usually at sea.
As in: "Old Craw Cutlass, word has he's to the deeps this past winter."
"Witch" - a powerful sea storm, usually in winter.
As in: "You don't want to set sail this night lads, there be a witch among us, most like she'll take ye to the deeps in that Prim Crabcatcher."
"Mer-piss" - particularly disgusting grog, or ale.
As in: "Save that mer-piss for dem's what can't tell da difference. Pour me a mug o' yer finest ale...." Checks coin purse..."or second finest if ya take me meaning."
"Glint" or "Sparkle" - booty, gold, wealth, usually denotes things that are shiny, sometimes refers to a fine wench as well.
As in: "What glint be in it for me. I'll be needed a wee sparkle for me toils ya see." OR: "Look at that sparkle will ya! I'd give me ship for five minutes with her in a dark place. That glint would light up the night she would. Your sister ya say? Well, I meant it the nicest way ye can fathom lad...now take your hand from your blade lest I take ye to the deeps. That's better now. Lets we throw back a mug of mer-piss and forget I oped me foul crabcatcher."
I've got a lot dirtier ones such as "pearl-diving" and "mopping the bilge," but I'll leave those to yer imagination ya scallywags.
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Originally I had some thoughts on Sasserine Slang that got lost in the tangle but I am planning on using these and lots more in my home campaign.
"Shark" - Pirate, buccanneer, raider, etc.
As in: "I tell ye, dem's water's filled with sharks."
Or: "Look at the teeth on this young shark!" equivalent of: "The lad has balls" or some such."Prim Crabcatcher" - an unseaworthy vessel, and a high insult to her captain.
As in: "Will ye look at dis Prim Crabcatcher! Oh! This is yer ship is it? No offense sir, though if yer planning to sail her to the Isle of Dread, yer a braver shark than I gave ya credit for! HAHAAAHAHA!"
NOTE: Crabcatcher sometimes is used interchangeably as "mouth" and "private region," the source of many delightful puns and insults."To the deeps" - meet one's demise, usually at sea.
As in: "Old Craw Cutlass, word has he's to the deeps this past winter.""Witch" - a powerful sea storm, usually in winter.
As in: "You don't want to set sail this night lads, there be a witch among us, most like she'll take ye to the deeps in that Prim Crabcatcher.""Mer-piss" - particularly disgusting grog, or ale.
As in: "Save that mer-piss for dem's what can't tell da difference. Pour me a mug o' yer finest ale...." Checks coin purse..."or second finest if ya take me meaning.""Glint" or "Sparkle" - booty, gold, wealth, usually denotes things that are shiny, sometimes refers to a fine wench as well.
As in: "What glint be in it for me. I'll be needed a wee sparkle for me toils ya see." OR: "Look at that sparkle will ya! I'd give me ship for five minutes with her in a dark place. That glint would light up the night she would. Your sister ya say? Well, I meant it the nicest way ye can fathom lad...now take your hand from your blade lest I take ye to the deeps. That's better now. Lets we throw back a mug of mer-piss and forget I oped me foul crabcatcher."I've got a lot dirtier ones such as "pearl-diving" and "mopping the bilge," but I'll leave those to yer...
I want more.........keep 'em comin'.
FH
"Dead" reckoning is actually "ded." reckoning, as in "deduced reckoning." Basically you are deducing from your logged courses and speeds, plus your estimation of set and drift, where you have gotten yourself to. A simple problem of vector analysis.
Dead reckoning.
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Dead_reckoning
lol... that's exactly what it says at the end of that link. Originally ded, from deduced... yep.
"She be having cargo in her bay" - to be pregnant.
"Cloud gawk" or "star gaze" - man the crow's nest.
"Spinner" - helmsman.
As in: "Jeb yer me spinner this watch, Jorlik get to cloud gawkin lad."
"brine devil" - a violent drunk who just as soon cut ye down as look at ya.
As in: "Oh sure, Old Man Varlson is as calm as doldrums sober, but put an ale or three in em, and you've a brine devil on yer hands for sure...mark me words"...points to his eye patch.
NOTE: Sometimes they just use "brine-o" for short.
"bilge rat" - stowaway.
As in: "More food gone missing from the mess last night? Either the boyos be getting greedy, or we've a bilge rat onboard."
"Driftwood" - a person out of place, an outsider, or a wanderer.
See Harliss Javell in Bullywug Gambit for a use of this one.
NOTE: Also means a simple, daft, or stupid person sometimes...yes Javell means that too.
"Fathom" - a measure of ale, a big measure.
As in: "Poor me a health three fathoms deep!!! I'm celebrating! What's that? Me wife has cargo in her bay maties! Of course its mine!!! Now pour me drink already, I'm no brine devil, no need ta fear!"
"Set me heading?" - do you understand me?
As in: "Put that blade down ya wee shark! Your father's to the deeps, but I had nothing to do with it! I tell ya, we've no quarrel lad, set me heading?"
"fisherfolk" - one of the worst insults you can hurl at a pirate, raider, or smuggler.
As in: "Crimson Fleet is sharks are they? Ya ask me they one big fleet o' fisherfolk! Though, don't tell em I said so laddie, be sure you don't say it was me that said so. Set me heading do ya?
"Dead" reckoning is actually "ded." reckoning, as in "deduced reckoning." Basically you are deducing from your logged courses and speeds, plus your estimation of set and drift, where you have gotten yourself to. A simple problem of vector analysis.
Dead reckoning.
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Dead_reckoning
Actually, this is a common, but not necessarily true, theory. Dead reckoning was in use as a term as early as the 1600's and is documented as such in the English dictionary of the time. "Ded" was a common English alternative spelling of "dead" and so both meant the same thing. That "ded" is an abbreviation of "deduced" theory came about in the early 1900's, but is not strongly supported by many etymologists. Now, exactly why the term "dead reckoning" came to be used in the 1600's is still up for debate, but that spelling is definitely acceptable/proper.
Just one of those odd things I picked up while watching things on TV you never think will be useful...
"Dead" reckoning is actually "ded." reckoning, as in "deduced reckoning." Basically you are deducing from your logged courses and speeds, plus your estimation of set and drift, where you have gotten yourself to. A simple problem of vector analysis.
Dead reckoning.
http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Dead_reckoning
Actually, this is a common, but not necessarily true, theory. Dead reckoning was in use as a term as early as the 1600's and is documented as such in the English dictionary of the time. "Ded" was a common English alternative spelling of "dead" and so both meant the same thing. That "ded" is an abbreviation of "deduced" theory came about in the early 1900's, but is not strongly supported by many etymologists. Now, exactly why the term "dead reckoning" came to be used in the 1600's is still up for debate, but that spelling is definitely acceptable/proper.
Just one of those odd things I picked up while watching things on TV you never think will be useful...
Don't forget the golden rivet.....
Glad this thread has proved useful. keep the slang coming Nick
Kendrik
Here are some more... some may be repeated from earlier posts
abaft the beam -- behind a perpendicular line extending out from the middle of the boat
abeam -- off the beam or on the side of the boat
aft -- towards the stern of the boat; to move aft is to move back
ahi -- yellowfin, ahi; a type of tuna
Aladdin cleat -- a cleat that attaches to the backstay over the cockpit, usually used for hanging a lantern
anchorage -- a place for anchoring
astern -- in the direction of, or behind, the stern
backstay -- a wire mast support leading aft to the deck or another mast
backwinded -- when the wind hits the leeward side of the sails
bar -- a shoal
batten -- a short piece of wood or plastic inserted in a sail to keep it taut
beam -- the greatest width of the boat, usually in the middle
bearing -- direction according to compass
berth -- sleeping bunk aboard the boat
bight -- a bend in the shoreline
binnacle -- compass stand
bitter end -- the final inboard end of chain or line
block -- pulley
bluewater sailing -- open ocean sailing, as opposed to being in a lake or sound
bone in her teeth -- sailing well underway such that spray is thrown out at the stem of the boat
boot stripe -- a different color strip of paint at the waterline
bow -- forward end of a boat
bright work -- varnished woodwork or polished metal
broach -- a turning or swinging of the boat that puts the beam of the boat against the waves, creating a danger of swamping or capsizing
bulkhead -- a partition below decks that separates one part of the vessel from another
bulwarks -- rail around the deck
buoy -- floating marker used for navigation
cabin sole --the bottom surface of the enclosed space under the deck of a boat
canvas -- slang for sail. Originally sails were made of canvas.
catamaran -- twin hulled boat
celestial navigation -- to calculate your position using time, the position of celestial bodies, and mathematical tables
chafe gear -- gear used to prevent damage by rubbing
Chichester -- Sir Francis Chichester, the great English sailor who authored the terrific books Alone Across the Atlantic and Gypsy Moth Circles the Globe
chocks -- a heavy metal fitting fixed to the deck of a ship through which a line for mooring, towing, or anchor rode is passed
ciguatera -- a severe type of food poisoning caused by eating contaminated fish
cleat -- a two-horned fitting for securing a line
clear the decks -- remove unnecessary things from the decks
clew -- the lower aft corner of the fore and aft sails
close hauled -- sails and boom pulled in tight, enabling the boat to point as high as possible to the direction the wind is coming from
clove hitch -- two half hitches
coaming -- the raised border around the cockpit, or a hatch to keep out water
companionway -- staircase that leads to the cabin
course -- compass heading or the angle of the boat in sailing against the wind
crabbing -- going sideways due to set (also catching crabs!)
D signal -- safety signal, "Keep clear of me. I am maneuvering with difficulty."
deadhead -- a floating log
deck plate -- a metal plate fitting on the deck that can be opened to take on fuel or water
DR -- dead reckoning, deduced reckoning; your position based on speed, direction, and time
dorado -- a dolphinfish (misnomer), same as mahi mahi
double ender -- boat with a pointed bow and stern
dinghy -- a small open boat, usually carried aboard a yacht for going ashore
draft -- water depth required to float the boat
ebb -- tide passing from high to low, with the current going out to sea
El Niño -- a warm inshore current annually flowing south along the coast of Ecuador. About every seven to ten years it extends down the coast of Peru , where it has a devastating effect.
fall off -- to pay off to leeward or away from the wind
fathom -- nautical measurement equivalent to a depth of six feet
fiddle -- strip around a table to prevent items from falling off when the boat is at a heel
fishhook -- slang sailing expression for a piece of metal or shroud that cuts or stabs you, the injury usually not discovered until later
fix -- the determined boat's position
fluke -- the digging end of the anchor; also wind irregularity
flood -- incoming tidal current
flotsam -- floating items of a ship or its cargo at sea, floating debris
fo'c'sle -- separate crew quarters before the mast
Force 8 -- gale force wind on the Beaufort Wind Scale
foredeck -- the forward part of a boat's main deck
foresail -- forward sail
fouled -- caught or twisted up
futzing -- meddling or fooling around
Genoa -- also known as genny, usually the biggest jib on the boat
going to weather -- to sail against the prevailing wind and seas
gooseneck -- fitting that secures the boom to the mast
Great Circle -- a course plotted on the surface of the globe that is the shortest distance between two points
ground tackle -- anchor and anchor gear
gunnels -- also gunwhale; the boat railing
halyard -- also halliard; the cordage used to haul the head of a sail up the mast
hanks -- metal hooks used to secure a sail to a stay; to hank on a sail is to hook it on a stay using the hanks
hard over -- turning the wheel as far as possible
harden up -- to steer closer to the wind, usually by pulling in on the sheets
hatch -- opening on deck with a cover
haul around -- change from a run to a reach
head -- currently the bathroom aboard a boat
head (of a sail) -- upper corner of a sail
headsail -- a sail forward of the mast
heave to -- to stop forward movement by bringing the vessel's bow into the wind and keeping it there
heaves -- upward displacing swells
heel -- the lean of a sailboat when sailing; the extent of the tilt of the boat
helm -- the wheel
hike out -- climb to windward
hook -- anchor
hove to - see heave to
hull speed -- the fastest a sailboat will go, usually dependent on length of the hull at the waterline
jack line -- a line run for safety purposes from the cockpit forward to the bow of the boat, inside the rail. Clipping on to the jack line with the lanyard of our safety harnesses we were able to minimize being lost overboard when going forward to crew in severe conditions
Jack-Tar -- a sailor from the clipper ship days, so named because they would tar their hair to prevent infection and make it easy to cut
jetsam -- debris, jettisoned items, floating at sea
jib -- a foresail. On a cutter this is the forward most sail, as opposed to staysail located between the jib and the main
jibe -- also gybe; to turn the boat downwind from one side of the wind to the other
jig -- fishing technique of lowering a weighted lure until just above the bottom, then alternately jerking the rod upwards and lowering it to give action to the lure
kapu -- also tapu (Tahitian); to be taboo. In Polynesian society, in addition to forbidden locations there were also various culture taboos
ketch -- two masted sailboat that has an after mast forward of the rudder
knot -- a nautical mile (equivalent to 1.15 miles or 1.852km). Also, any of various tangles of line formed by methodically passing the free end through loops and drawing it tight.
landfall -- first sight of land
lanyard -- a short rope or cord that attaches to an item onboard a boat , usually for keeping it attached to the boat
latitude -- an angular measurement or distance measured in degrees, north or south from the equator which is 0 .
lazaret -- a storage space below the deck in the cockpit
lee -- the side away from the direction of the wind, also used in context to refer to a sheltered place out of the wind, as in the lee of the island
lee cloths -- a cloth hung on the lee side of a berth (the down side when the boat has heel to it) to keep one from rolling out of their bunk
lee shore -- a shore that wind blows onto; it is best to stay well off a lee shore in a storm
leeward -- downwind
lifeline -- stout line around the deck of the boat to keep crew from falling overboard
list -- inclination of a boat due to excess weight on one side or the other
longitude -- distance in degrees east or west of Greenwich, England, meridian which is 0 .
mainsail -- the main sail of the sail boat set off the mast and main boom
marlinespike -- a pointed metal tool for separating the strands of a rope in splicing
meat hook -- slang expression for a large fishing hook
midships -- the middle of the boat
mooring -- a float providing a tie off for a boat, usually set to a permanent anchor
Mother Carey's Chickens -- storm petrels
offing -- seaward, a safe distance from shore
old salt -- a very experienced and/or old sailor
onboard -- on the boat
orcas -- killer whales
P flag -- signal flag known as the "Blue Peter" [blue square in a white the vessel is about to proceed to sea."
pahua -- giant clam found in tropical waters
part -- fray or break
pay out -- to slacken on a line
pedestal -- columnar support for the wheel in the cockpit
phosphorescence -- luminescence
pooped -- having a wave wash over the stern of the boat
port -- the left side of the boat; also a harbor
pull -- in rowing, to row an oar, putting your back into it
put in -- to enter a port or harbor
pitch -- plunging of a vessel fore and aft
Polaris -- the North Star, the star that is located over the north pole and is the center of revolution for the Earth
pulpit -- platform over the sprit of the boat enclosed in a metal framework
preventer -- line and tackle which limits the movement of the boom, usually for the purpose of preventing accidents
quarter -- the side of a boat aft of beam and forward of the stern
Q flag -- all yellow signal flag meaning "My vessel is healthy and I request free pratique."
quay -- wharf used to discharge cargo
rail -- top of the bulwarks on the edge of the deck
reaching -- sailing a course that is neither close hauled or downwind
reef -- to shorten sail, usually by partially lowering it and tying it off with reefing lines
rigging -- standing rigging refers to shrouds and stays, while running rigging refers to halyards and sheets that control the sails
rode - the line or chain attached to the anchor
roller - a wave
rolling heap -- slang expression meaning ocean
rudder -- hinged plate hinged to the stern of the vessel used to steer t the boat by turning the wheel
running -- going with the wind, downwind sailing (to run downwind)
running backs -- running backstays; temporary backstays used to stabilize the mast and prevent undue flexing in the pumping action of the sea over an extended voyage. Usually attached by tangs to the mast opposite to where the staysail stay is attached.
rip current -- as in tide rip; water disturbance created by conflicting current and wind
safety harness -- a harness, usually made of webbing, worn over the shoulders and around the chest equipped with a lanyard for preventing being swept overboard in severe conditions
samson post -- also sampson post;
salon -- also saloon; main social cabin of a boat
scope -- the length or extent of anchor rode
sculling oar -- a large oar used for propelling a boat by moving from side to side; also used for an emergency rudder
scuppers -- overboard drain holes on deck
seized - bound together
self-tending -- tacks itself
set -- the direction of the tide or current, the leeway course of the boat
shackle -- a metal link which can be open and closed for joining chain to anchor, etc.
sheet -- the lines leading from the clew of a sail with which you pull in or let it out
ship in seas -- take in seas
shroud -- a wire used to stay or hold a mast in position to which the sails may also be hanked
skipjack -- bonito, aku; a type of tuna
slats -- battens
slatting -- flapping
snubber -- a spring line tied from the boat to chain rode, usually near the water's surface. It helps disperse tension forces. It also prevents damage to the boat by ground tackle and can help in the retrieval of the ground tackle in heavy weather. (to reduce the snap of the rode when it stretched out)
soggering -- being lazy and unassuming of responsibility
sou'wester -- a wind coming from the southwest
sounding -- diving
spreaders -- small spars between the mast and shrouds
spring line -- a line tied between two opposing forces that has a neutralizing effect on the force vectors, such as those creating by surge. At the dock with a bow line and stern line tied off, a spring line is often added to limit the working movements of a floating vessel even more.
sprit -- a spar that extends the bow of the boat
starboard -- right; on the right side of the boat
staysail -- On a cutter this is the sail located between the jib and the main sail
stern -- the rear of the boat
stow -- to store onboard
stores -- provisions stored onboard
studding out a sail -- extending a sail using a whisker pole
surge -- rising and falling of the sea, usually due to wave action
tack -- change the sail course by bringing its bow across the wind, moving the boom to the other side of the boat when beating
tack (of a sail) -- forward lower corner of a sail
taffrail log -- Walker log; a propeller drawn through the water that operates an odometer on the boat registering the distance sailed
tang -- a fitting on the mast for securing rigging
tender -- dinghy
the hard -- land
topping lift -- a line or wire for lifting the boom that runs from the top of the mast
torch -- old sailing term for lantern that throws out a beam of light. Now it also can refer to a flashlight.
trailing -- dragging, as in "dragging a line"
trimaran -- a boat with three hulls
underway -- moving under power of sail or motor
victuals -- food
vittles -- victuals
v-berth -- usually the forward berth of the boat, located in the bow
watch - working shift
warp -- move a boat by hauling on lines attached to docks or anchors
whip -- rope rove
whisker pole -- a spar used to hold out the clew of the jib when running
winch -- mechanical device for hauling in a line
windlass -- winch for hauling in the anchor chain or line
wind rose -- a diagram usually shown on pilot charts that indicates the frequency and intensity of wind from different directions for a particular place
windward -- upwind
wing on wing -- running before the wind with sails on opposite sides such as the main on one side of the boat and the genny on the other
yar -- fit and beautiful (boat)
yaw, yawing -- to turn from side to side in an uneven course
zincs -- zinc plates attached to the hull to minimize electrolysis (and ultimate failure) of the metal in the rudder and other areas
i hope that you guys are still finding these useful
Kendrik
Thanks so much for this, just what i needed!
Nice thread.
A couple of clarifications etc.
First, from the most recent list (I haven't had time to go through them all, so these are just ones that caught my eye):
sounding: defined as "diving". This is true when applied to a whale or some other creature. Much more commonly a sounding is a measure of depth, historically made using a lead weight on the end of a line. Being in "soundings" means that you are close enough to shore that you can actually measure the depth unlike most of the ocean. Also historically soundings are measured in fathoms ( a fathom is 6', which is roughly the length of line you can hold with both arms extended).
Studding out a sail: defined as "extending a sail using a whisker pole". True as far as it goes. More commonly used as studdingsail (pronounced stuns'l - yes I'm serious) which is a sail made for the job. When the call comes to "set the stuns'ls" it means that you are piling on as much sail as possible to go as fast as you can. It also means you're going downwind. This'd be a fine thing for a captain to shout out in any sort of chase scene.
Pronunciation: for the 'lubbers out there, sailors are notoriously lazy and shorten words all the time. Make sure you sound salty - mainmast is always mainm'st, foresail=fores'l, forecastle=foc's'le, gunwhale=gunnel etc. etc. ad nauseum.
Also Peruhain correctly identified a shellback as one who has sailed (or motored these days) across the equator. Everyone else are "wogs" or more fully "pollywogs" - i.e. tadpoles yet to make the transformation into adulthood. Typically the process of becoming a shellback involves a visit from Neptune and his court and a goodly amount of difficult/painful/embarrasing/gross ceremony. Just the kind of thing that might happen on a 3,000 mile voyage on the way to the Isle of Dread...
I'll post more as time allows.
here is a breakdown of some nautical terminology that might come in handy for those who haven't spent any more time in the drink than ten minutes on bath night.
Nautical Terminology
Hmm I have to add the six degrees of motion for a vessel here. One of them has been mentioned but I'll repeat it again for completeness:
Yawing: motion around a vessel's vertical axis (rotational). Caused by sea conditions and rudder position.
Pitching: motion around a vessel's transverse axis (rotational). The bow is lifted and the stern lowered and vice versa.
Rolling: motion around a vessel's longitudinal axis (rotational). Side to side movement caused by various forces.
Surging: motion along a vessel's longitudinal axis (linear). Caused by the sea's motion to accelerate and decelerate forward and backward.
Swaying: motion along a vessel's transverse axis (linear).
Caused by the sea's motion to accelerate and decelerate side to side.
Heaving: motion along a vessel's vertical axis (linear). Caused by predominantly wave peaks or troughs.
Thats the motions dealt with. Now some loading terms:
Trim by the stern: the vessel is loaded in such a manner that there is an excess draught aft.
Trim by the bow: the vessel is loaded in such a manner that there is an excess draught forward.
Sagging: The vessel is heavily loaded midships thus looking like its bending downwards in the middle.
Hogging: The vessel is heavily loaded at the bow and stern thus causing the vessel to bend upwards in the middle.
Even keel: The vessel is loaded with equal drafts forward, aft and midships.
I've seen the term 'holed' used in Stormwrack an alternative phrasing is bilged.
I could add more just let me know.
Cheers
Originally I had some thoughts on Sasserine Slang that got lost in the tangle but I am planning on using these and lots more in my home campaign.
"Shark" - Pirate, buccanneer, raider, etc.
As in: "I tell ye, dem's water's filled with sharks."
Or: "Look at the teeth on this young shark!" equivalent of: "The lad has balls" or some such."Prim Crabcatcher" - an unseaworthy vessel, and a high insult to her captain.
As in: "Will ye look at dis Prim Crabcatcher! Oh! This is yer ship is it? No offense sir, though if yer planning to sail her to the Isle of Dread, yer a braver shark than I gave ya credit for! HAHAAAHAHA!"
NOTE: Crabcatcher sometimes is used interchangeably as "mouth" and "private region," the source of many delightful puns and insults."To the deeps" - meet one's demise, usually at sea.
As in: "Old Craw Cutlass, word has he's to the deeps this past winter.""Witch" - a powerful sea storm, usually in winter.
As in: "You don't want to set sail this night lads, there be a witch among us, most like she'll take ye to the deeps in that Prim Crabcatcher.""Mer-piss" - particularly disgusting grog, or ale.
As in: "Save that mer-piss for dem's what can't tell da difference. Pour me a mug o' yer finest ale...." Checks coin purse..."or second finest if ya take me meaning.""Glint" or "Sparkle" - booty, gold, wealth, usually denotes things that are shiny, sometimes refers to a fine wench as well.
As in: "What glint be in it for me. I'll be needed a wee sparkle for me toils ya see." OR: "Look at that sparkle will ya! I'd give me ship for five minutes with her in a dark place. That glint would light up the night she would. Your sister ya say? Well, I meant it the nicest way ye can fathom lad...now take your hand from your blade lest I take ye to the deeps. That's better now. Lets we throw back a mug of mer-piss and forget I oped me foul crabcatcher."I've got a lot dirtier ones such as "pearl-diving" and "mopping the bilge," but I'll leave those to yer...
Most theatrical, sir!
Consider this post yoinked!
Nice thread.
Also Peruhain correctly identified a shellback as one who has sailed (or motored these days) across the equator. Everyone else are "wogs" or more fully "pollywogs" - i.e. tadpoles yet to make the transformation into adulthood. Typically the process of becoming a shellback involves a visit from Neptune and his court and a goodly amount of difficult/painful/embarrasing/gross ceremony. Just the kind of thing that might happen on a 3,000 mile voyage on the way to the Isle of Dread...
I'll post more as time allows.
Memories of gettin' whooped with a cut firehose and grubbing for raw liver in slops on the fantail! Ah yes, and the wog beauty contest. If you think fraternity initiations are bad . . . 'Course this was in the old days before 90% of crossing the line fell into the category of "hazing" and was thus banned.
Oh, the trip to the Isle of Dread will be a fun one!
Ye wee sharks 'd best list' t'old Eltanin. 'E's a LICENSED shark wi' big teeth 'e is!
Well, a few old sea chanties I know inspired a few more Loguesque turns of phrase, of the sort you might here in the Sasserine Sleighride out in the Azure district. The sailor's favorite form of banter is nautical double-entendre. For those of delicate sensibilities, you may wish to skip this post, as it's full of salty talk.
"Keep a weather eye"--be careful, be on the lookout for danger
"Ready for cargo"--a likely lass. As in, "That one looks ready for cargo, she does." "You keep a weather eye, Jeb--her captain's due back aboard any time now, and I don't think 'e'll hire want to hire you on as first mate!"
"Trimmed by the stern" or "Round in the quarter"--amply proportioned in the hips and thighs "Hah! He always did like his ships trimmed by the stern, ain't it so, Jeb!"
"Bluff in the bow"--possessing an ample bosom. "They've a fine fleet at the Sleighride--twenty ships an' ev'ry one wi' 'er tops'ls reefed and bluff in the bow, ridin' at anchor and ready for cargo!"
"Lay in your sails"--undress. "She laid in 'er tops'ls, her stays'ls an' all . . ."-- excerpt from sea-chanty "Cruisin' 'round Hardby"
"Towing"--walking arm-in-arm on a public street. "Them prim lasses o' the Noble District don't go in fer towin' ye know--but when ye get 'em berthed in a snug cove they're as like to lay in their sails and take on cargo as any other."
"In drydock"--receiving medical treatment. "Ol' Silas made the mistake o' trolling at the Velvet Hatch. Got 'isself in tow wi' a right fine bark, round in the quarter and flyin' a gold flag from 'er masthead. Only someone set a fire in her hold, unbeknownst-like. Now I reckon 'e'll be in drydock for awhile."
"Line locker"--beard. "Har! D'ye hear how ol' Ham Stofford drank five fathoms o' mer-piss and then went bilge divin' at the Velvet Hatch? Now he's got dire crabs in 'is line locker!"
"Read her draught"--ascertain whether a wench is "ready for cargo." "'Tis best to read 'er draught afore boarding 'er, Garr, otherwise some wee shark's liable ta try 'is teeth on ye."
Here's a few more, ya scabrous scalawags!
“Take soundings”—proceed carefully to make sure you’re not heading into danger.
“Seaworthy”—said of a wench who is believed to be clean and honest
“Rotten galley”—a slattern of dubious hygiene
“Fine caravel”—a high-class courtesan, of the sort that only a wealthy ship-captain could afford to pay court to
“Round cog”—a wench who is dowdy or not well proportioned. “She’s a round cog but seaworthy nonetheless, and she’s not carrying another captain’s cargo.”
“Pirate sloop”—a dishonest wench who steals money from her patron or cooperates with crimps. “Take soundings before you board ‘er! She ‘as the look of a pirate sloop if ye ask me.”
“Crimps”—thugs who kidnap men and sell them to unscrupulous captains that need to fill out their crews so they can sail right away.
“Handsome cabin boy”—1. a sailor with whom the captain is on overly familiar terms. 2. a woman who has disguised herself as a man so that she can go to sea. “Bilge rat or handsome cabin boy—makes no difference. Either way it’s bad luck ta have a wench aboard.”
“Foul one’s bowsprit”—to become romantically involved with. “He fouled his bowsprit in a rotten galley’s rigging. Now he’s stuck in drydock.”
“Twenty fathoms o’ chain”—describes a man who is tough and fearless. Like the Spanish expression “cojones.” “The lad’s got twenty fathoms o’ chain, ‘e does. When that pirate sloop boarded ‘im, he killed five of ‘er crimps, and then ‘e boarded ‘er right back.”
“Batten one’s hatch”—to turn a cold shoulder. “She thinks she’s a fine caravel, she does! She took me towline quick enough, but when she found out I ain’t ship captain nor even mate, she wouldn’t lay in sails for me. Battened her hatch as tight as if a Patchwall Tempest were blowin’ in off Jeklea Bay!”
“Hoist colors”—reveal a secret, let the cat out of the bag. “The cap’n fouled ‘is bowsprit with the handsome cabin boy. Now her hold is full o’ cargo and she’s got no choice but to hoist her colors.”
I was thinking, "Dagon it" could be an expletive.
Perhaps a very strong one. It's bad juju to mention the name of a Demon Prince, and especially, if you're a sailor, one connected with the power of the Deep Ocean. IMC, just the mere mention of such a name in anything other than indirect fashion merits the rest of the crew giving you a blanket party as a lesson--if the old man hears, he's likely to give you a taste o' the cat, if not feed you to the sharks.
I love these new turns of phrase!!! Me stealing em for me campaign!
Nick
here is a breakdown of some nautical terminology that might come in handy for those who haven't spent any more time in the drink than ten minutes on bath night.
Nautical Terminology
Abaft: On the after side of. Further towards the stern.
Aboard: On board. In, into or inside a vessel. Close alongside.
Abyss: That volume of ocean lying below 300 fathoms from surface.
Adrift: Unattached to the shore or ground and at the mercy of wind and tide. Colloquially used to mean missing from its place; absent from place of duty; broken away from fastening.
Against the Sun: Anti-clockwise circular motion. Left-handed ropes are coiled down in this way.
Alongside: Close beside a ship, wharf or jetty.
Altar: Step in a dry dock, on which lower ends of shores rest.
Amok: Homicidal frenzy that sometimes affects Malayans and other eastern peoples.
Anchor Ice: Ice, of any form, that is aground in the sea.
Apeak: Said of anchor when cable is taut and vertical.
A-stay: Said of anchor cable when its line of lead approximates a continuation of line of fore stay.
Athwart: Across. Transversely.
A-trip: Said of anchor immediately it is broken out of the ground.
Avast: Order to stop, or desist from, an action.
Awash: Water washing over.
Barque: Sailing vessel with three or more masts: fore and aft rigged on aftermast, square rigged on all others.
Barquentine: Sailing vessel with three or more masts. Square rigged on foremast, fore and aft rigged on all others.
Barratry: Any wrongful act knowingly done by the master or crew of a vessel to the detriment of the owner of either ship or cargo; and which was done without knowledge or consent of owner or owners.
Bar Taut: Said of a rope when it is under such tension that it is practically rigid.
Beams Ends: Vessel said to be "on her beam ends" when she is lying over so much that her deck beams are nearly vertical.
Bear Off: To thrust away; to hold off. Order given to bowman of boat when he is required to push boat's head away from jetty, gangway or other fixture at...
"BUMP"
... for jib
