Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-10-09
SOME SEA TERMS.
All Languages Drawn On for Express
sive Words.

CIV 4o1doDANLs dAASSO NV 90
some time had something to do with
sailing craft, know what the sheet of
boat is, usually regarding it as a
sail, instead of being aware that 1t
is the rope by which the sail is man.
aged The term has evidently been
transferred from the canvas to which
the rope or chain is attached to the
rope or chain, which usually runs
around a pulley block for ease in
handling. 1t is fastened to one or
both of the lower corners Of the sail,
to extend it or to change its direc-
ton. A still further transfer of the
word sheet" from its proper mean
ing has taken place in the use of the
term "a sheet in the wind,' to desig-
nate a person, landsman or sailor,
who is somewhat fuddled, having
three sheets in the wind meaning
to be very drunk.
The sheet anchor has nothing to
do either with a bed sheet or with
boat sheet, being only corrupted
form of shoot anchor, or shot anchor,
an anchor carried for us in emergen-
cies, when it can be suddenly shot out
to make fast a vessel in danger. The
sheet anchors were formerly the
heaviest carried on a vessel, but now
they are of the same weight as bow
anchors which are in regular use. The
use of "sheet-anchor" to represent
any last resort in time of peril is only
a fgurative form of speech. To cast
an anchor to windward is clear to
any one who understands English.
but the difficulties that a foreigner
experiences are illustrated by this in
cident, which occurred in the Blaine
Cleveland campaign One of the
phrases of that contest was casting
an anchor to windward," and it came
to the notice of a well informed news
paper writer of Teutonic extraction.
He sought to make use of it. in con-
versation, but only succeeded in max
ing the absurd and preposterous as
sertion. "He cast an anchor to the
wind"
All languages have been laid under
contribution for sea terms. Admiral
comes from the Arabic "emir ell
bagh," meaning lord of the sea-"
Commodore" comes from the italian
"commandatore" captain" is from
the Latin "caput," the head; mate"
is from the Icelandic, and means an
equal, although the third mate is not
the equal of the first mate. Cox
swain" comes from the Welsh, in
this way: A small boat used on
Welsh rivers is called a coracle;
this was corrupted into "cockboat,"
term applied to the small boat used
by a captain, and the man who pulled
the after oar in the cockboat was call
ed coXswain The term now applies
to one who steers a boat while the
oars are handled by Others, the swain
being the same as in boatswain, a
servant The "bo'sn," as he is colo
quially and nautically known, was
once a boy servant. Now he is the
subordinate officer in charge of the
rigging, anchors, cables and cordage,
and he summons the crew for evelu-
tons with his whistle and assists
the executive officer
The terms port and starboard, il
universal use on shipboard, were for
merly larboard and starboard The
starboard was the steer side, the oar
used ON the ancient galleys for d.
recting the course of a craft being
h. ioh+ -i1 T nh is
believed to have come from the lower
or inferior side, which the left was
regarded as being.
The dog watch was originally the
dodge watch, being applied to the
short watch of two hours between the
mast has nothing to do with jury duty,
but comes from the same French
word, Jour-" a day, being designed
to serve only for a temporary period,
just as a jury is sworn in for short
service. The place to which all sail
prs ultimately go, Davy Joness
cocker, has nothing to do with a
Welshman, but is corrupted from
Duffy Jonah's locker" the word
duffy" being a West Indian Negro
term for ghost, or spirit, and Jonah
being him of Biblical renown for
whom Jehovah prepared a great fish,
in the belly of which the prophet
spent three days and three nights, af-
ter being cast overheard by his ship
mates, who attributed the wrath of
the elements to his presence among
them, after he had failed to obey the
command to preach to the people of
Nineveh of the destruction about to
overwhelm them In the New Tesla
ment, but not in the Book of Jonah,
the prophet is said to have been three
days in the belly of q whale, the
statement being made by Jesus in a
parable. In the prophecy he is said
to have spent three days and three
nights in the belly of the fish which
Jehovah had prepared to swallow
him, and he prayed unto JehGSs~n
his God out of the fish's belly."-f V
York Tribune.
Petroleum in New Zealand.
D. -