Help
Options
Didn't know it?
click below
click below
Knew it?
click below
click below
Don't Know
Remaining cards (0)
Know
retry
shuffle
restart
0:00
Embed Code - If you would like this activity on your web page, copy the script below and paste it into your web page.
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Nautical Terms
| Term | Origin |
|---|---|
| Leeway | The lee side of a ship sheltered from the wind; if a ship does not have enough leeway, it is in danger of being driven onto the shore |
| Over the Barrel | A flogged sailor would be placed over the barrel of a deck cannon |
| To Know the Ropes | The miles and miles of cordage in the rigging of a square rigged ship had to be kept track of by knowing their locations |
| Dressing Down | Thin and worn sails were treated with oil or wax; repremands were known as dressing downs |
| Footloose | The bottom portion of a sail (foot) is not secured |
| Booby Hatch | A sliding cover or hatch that must be pushed away to allow access or passage |
| First Rate | Implies excellence; a ship of 100 or more guns |
| Pipe down | Stop talking and be quiet; the last signal from the Bosun's pipe |
| Chock-a-Block | Meaning something is filled to capacity or overloaded; two blocks of rigging tackle were so hard together they couldn't be tightened further |
| Windfall | A sudden unexpected rush of wind from a mountainous shore which allowed a ship more leeway |
| Groggy | Drinking too much grog |
| Three Sheets to the Wind | A sheet is a rope line which controls the tension on the downwind side of a square sail, stagger and wander aimlessly downwind |
| Pooped | To be swamped by a high, following sea |
| As the Crow Flies | Ships would release a caged crow that would fly to the nearest land |
| Buoyed Up | using a buoy to raise the bight of an anchor cable |
| By and Large | By meaning into the wind and large meaning with the wind |
| Cut and Run | Cut the anchor cable and sail off in a hurry |
| In the Offing | A good distance from the shore, barely visible from land |
| Skyscraper | Small triangular sail set above the skysail in order to maximize effect in a light wind |
| The Bitter End | All of the anchor cable bitts have been used |
| Toe the Line | When called to attention the sailors would line up on a seam in the deck |
| Back and Fill | A technique of tacking when the tide is with the ship but the wind is against it |
| Overhaul | Buntiline ropes were hauled over the sails to prevent them from chaffing the sails |
| Slush Fund | Leftover fat was sold by the cook of a ship to benefit the crew |
| Bear Down | To sail downward rapidly towards another ship or landmark |
| Under the Weather | Crewman standing on the weather side of the bow and subjected to the sea and ocean spray |
| Overreach | Missing its turning point by holding a tack course too long |
| Gone By the Board | Anything gone overboard or floating past the ship |
| Above Board | Anything on or above the open deck |
| Overwhelm | Old English for capsize or founder |
| Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea | curved seam in the deck closest to the side of the ship; if a sailor slilpped |
| The Devil to Pay | To seal the devil seam in the deck |
| Rummage Sale | Sale of damaged cargo |
| A Square Meal | Meal served on square platters |
| Son of a Gun | Child born aboard with an unknown father |
| Overbearing | To sail downwind directly at another ship |
| Taking the Wind out of his Sails | Sailing in a manner so as to steal or divert wind from another ship's sails |
| Let the Cat Out of the Bag | Take the whip used for flogging out of its bag |
| No Room to Swing a Cat | Crew gathered around too close for a flogging |
| Start Over With a Clean Slate | If no problems happened on watch, the helm slate was whiped clean |
| Taken Aback | The wind is on the wrong side of the sails pressing them back against the mast |
| At Loggerheads | Used as a weapon or to seal deck seams |
| Fly-by-Night | A large sail used only for sailing downwind and requiring rather little attention |
| No Great Shakes | Casks were taken apart to take out the shakes, worth little value |
| Give a Wide Berth | Ships far enough away from another ship so they would not hit each other |
| Garbled | Mixing rubbish with the cargo; mixed up message |
| Touch and Go | A ship's keel touching the bottom an dgetting right off again |
| Scuttlebutt | Water barrel with a hole cut into it for drinking, where the ship's gossip was exchanged |
Created by:
100000037778489
Popular Earth Science sets