Nautical Etymology

Each month our resident etymologyst examines a nautical phrase or saying that has found its way into everyday usage.

“Batten Down the Hatches”

If a storm was looming it was necessary for the ships carpenter to nail extra battens across the hatches to prevent ingress of water to the hold and cabins below. These days we refer to expedient behaviour in advance of predicted trouble as “Battening down the hatches”

"Taken Aback"

'Aback' means in a backward direction - toward the rear. The first to be 'taken aback' were not people though but ships. The sails of a ship are said to be 'aback' when the wind blows them flat against the masts and spars that support them. If the wind were to turn suddenly so that a sailing ship was facing unexpectedly into the wind, the ship was said to be 'taken aback'. Nowadays, 'taken aback' is an allusion to something that is startling enough to make us jump back in surprise.

"Bail Out"

To stop a ship from sinking, one would extract or bail excess unwanted water from it. If you are bailing someone out, you are helping them avoid a metaphorical sinking. These days governments bail out sinking banks!

"Three Sheets to the Wind"

Sheets, being ropes (or occasionally, chains) fixed to the lower corners of sails, to hold them in place. If three sheets are loose and blowing about in the wind then the sails will flap and the boat will lurch about like a drunken sailor. The phrase is these days more often given as 'three sheets to the wind', rather than the original 'three sheets in the wind'. Sailors of the 19th Century had a sliding scale of drunkenness: 'one sheet in the wind' or 'a sheet in the wind's eye' was just tipsy; two more drunk; and three sheets was the falling over stage!

"Shiver My Timbers"

One meaning of the word ‘shiver’, which is now largely forgotten, is 'to break into pieces'. The origins of this phrase, often quoted in movies of the genre, are as a sailor's oath… meaning “let my boat break into pieces”.

"To Fathom Out"

A Fathom is a nautical measure equal to six feet (a bit less than 2 metres). When sounding into an anchorage a man at the front of the ship would work out how many Fathoms deep the water was, and therefore the right amount of chain could be paid out. So if you have fathomed something out you have come up with a good idea of the scale of the problem. If you can't Fathom something out you may be in "deep water".

In our new 18-part series, our resident etymologist explores the origins of nautical phrases that have found their way into everyday language.

"Above Board"

A common pirate trick was to keep all but a few of the men out of sight. At long distance, someone inspecting them with a telescope might be fooled into thinking they were seeing a peaceful merchantman with a small crew, and so no threat. The devious captain kept his men low behind the bulwarks - or below the top deck; a captain with nothing to hide would keep his crew "above board”.

If you can contribute any sayings, please email Kevin Fearn.