Many sailing words have made their ways into everyday language. But you might be surprised at how many phrases you hear every day also came from shipboard life. Here are a few – and pay attention to how many are related to flags. In the days before radio, they were the main way ships communicated with each other and the shore.
Above Board – The term today means someone who is honest and forthright. In the old days it just mean visible. The phrase apparently came from a practice by pirates masquerading as merchantmen to hide most of their crew behind the bulwarks (“below board?”) until the ship was within striking distance. By contrast, the crew of a genuine – or honest - merchant ship would be visible “above board.”
As the Crow Flies – In everyday language, “as the crow flies” means the shortest distance between two points. In the old days, it gave you a bearing to land. Coastal ships in Europe often carried one or more caged crows. When it was foggy and/or they were unsure of their position, they would let a crow loose, knowing it would fly straight for the nearest land. (This practice is also where we get crow’s nest.)
Bamboozle – To get the better of someone through trickery. Said to originate in the 17th century to describe the Spanish custom of raising false flags to deceive – or bamboozle – enemies.
Batten Down (or Batten the Hatches) – Make preparations, particularly for some kind of looming disaster. Aboard cargo ships, battens were long lengths of wood. When a storm was coming, heavy tarps were thrown over cargo hatch covers, and the battens were wedged along the outside edges to insure the hatches would not leak.
Turn a Blind Eye – Today, if you turn a blind eye, you intentionally ignore something. In 1801, during the Battle of Copenhagen, then Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson deliberately put his telescope to his blind eye in order not to see the flag signal from his commander to disengage. And, being Nelson, he emerged victorious. What a guy.
By and Large – In the old days, sailing “by” the wind meant sailing as close as possible to the wind (which in those days wasn’t very close). Sailing “large” meant running or broad reaching. So aboard a ship “by and large” meant “In most circumstances.” The meaning ashore has changed a bit to mean “in general.”
Let the Cat out of the Bag – This common phrase meaning to reveal a secret had more dire meanings aboard ship. The “cat” was the cat ‘o nine tails – a whip with nine ends used to punish recalcitrant sailors. One can easily imagine a warning to a misbehaving sailor might hint about letting the cat out of the bag if he didn’t shape up.
Cup of Joe – In 1913, Woodrow Wilson appointed Joseph Daniels to be the new Secretary of the Navy. Among Daniels’ reforms was abolishing alcohol consumption aboard warships (then limited to wine in the officers’ mess). From then on, the strongest drink aboard a Navy ship was coffee, and it wasn't long before it got nicknamed "a cup of Joe". (Does Starbucks know this?)
Devil to Pay – The “devil” was a nickname given to the seam where the covering board met the deck planking. It was so named because it was both the longest seam on the ship – and the most difficult one to get at for periodic caulking. “Pay” was a type of tar used in caulking. So “the devil to pay” literally meant “that long, difficult seam that has to be caulked.” Landsmen mistook “devil” to be literal, and adopted the phrase to mean some unpleasant result from something someone does – as though Satan is exacting retribution. (This is also where we get the phrase between the devil and the deep blue sea.)
Even Keel and Listless – We mention these together because, while they describe a similar condition, they have opposite meanings, both afloat and ashore. A ship on an “even keel” is calm and steady, and that's what it means in everyday language. However, a ship on an even keel is often that way because there is no wind. No wind – no list. And life aboard is boring when the ship is listless. As it is ashore.
Flying Colors – if you pass a test with flying colors, you have done about as well as you could have. It was the same in the days of fighting sail. A ship entering harbor with “flying colours” – meaning with most of its flags flying – indicated it had been victorious in battle.
Feeling Blue – Today’s phrase for feeling sad came from an old custom among sailors – if a ship had lost a captain or other crew members, she would often enter port flying blue flags.
Hard and Fast (and hard up) – A hard and fast rule means one that is inflexible. In the old days, hard and fast meant a ship that had run aground and couldn’t get free, which was also a pretty inflexible situation. Hard up, derived from the same predicament, means in a fix with no obvious way to get out of it.
Hodgepodge – The original meaning of hodge podge was literally “stew pot,” and everyone knows there’s a little bit of everything in stew. When the term made its way aboard sailing ships, it came to mean the equal division of cargo and/or property damaged when two ships collided and both bore equal responsibility.
Hunky Dory - There was, at one time, a street in Yokohama, Japan, called Honki-Dori which catered to the pleasures of sailors. Enough said.
Jury Rig (often incorrectly written and pronounced “jerry rig”) – A jury rig is a make-do repair until a complete fix can be made. It derives from the practice of replacing a mast or spar that has broken or been lost overboard with whatever materials one can find. The word may derive from “injury”, but more likely comes from the Old French ajurie – “help” or “relief.”
Keep Your Shirt On – Shirts were often in short supply in the old days and a typical sailor might only have the one on his back. If he was going into a fight - with the enemy or another sailor - he would remove his shirt so as not to mess it up. So “Keep your shirt on” came to mean, “Calm down, I don’t want to fight you.” Today, ashore, it means much the same thing.