For centuries sailors have sailed the seas in search of land, food, & just good old fashioned fun, but did you know many of our everyday sayings actually originated at sea. Here are some common phrases used in everyday life that actually began on the seas.
LOOSE CANNON: Most of us associate the term “loose cannon” with someone who may behave in an unpredictable manner. The term actually comes from when a ship’s cannon would literally come loose from its lashing.
A SQUARE MEAL: It doesn’t mean all your food groups are aligned properly. It means wooden plates on tall ships were always square.
PIPE DOWN: In sailing terms “Pipe Down” was the last signal from the bosun’s (crew organizer) pipe each day meaning lights out and time to go to sleep.
TOE THE LINE: In nautical speak “toe the line” was an expression referring to a ship’s crew that was called to gather and form a line with their toes all touching a given line of deck planking.
CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH: Hundreds of years ago cleanliness on ships was by many considered second only to godliness. Ships had to present a certificate declaring a “clean bill of health” communicating either the presence or absence of infectious diseases among the crew and the port they traveled from.
HAND OVER FIST: In nautical terms “hand over fist” refers to sailors tugging at lines as fast as they could to trim sheets and raise sails.
ALL HANDS ON DECK: On ships meaning the entire crew and officers together engaged in the same pursuit.
FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER: In sailing terminology “feeling under the weather” was not a term of sadness or illness. Sailors would use this phrase when the weather was rough to warn the passengers to retreat to the lower levels of the boat to keep them safe from the storm.
