The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-17
NAUTICAL TERMS ON LAND
Sea Phrases Unconsciously Used by
Persons Never on Brine.


"Our country is rich in sea terms, yet
thousands Of those who use them never
dream OF their origin" said Lieut.
Commander Cleland Davis of the
United States navy at the Hoffman
house the other evening. For example.
IL 1 say TO you, How are your and you
reply, First rate you perhaps little
know that you are aiding in perpetrat-
ing tho remembrance OF the old line OF
battleship. first rate The navy. you
know. in past days had six rates or
classes of vessels.
'6ea proverbs are also met with in
daily use. For instance. The devil to
pay One never thinks why devil or
pay should be mentioned. The say
Ing originates In the mystery OF calk-
Ing the seams Of ships deck. The
outside seam, called by sailors the
waterway seam, obtained among calk-
srs the term Of the devil through the
difficulty OF calking It; to pay is to
raL hot pitch along the calked seams.
I'VE say Of a man who Is going
wrong, He is on the wrong tack
sometimes In error using the word track.
A vessel on the wrong tack may drive
ashore. OF, II in a hurricane. be en-
quilted in the heart OF the storm.
Suppose. again. that l spin you a
yarn l may tell you Of the unlucky
fellow who is among the breakers; OF
the villain sailing under false colors': :
the heroine showing signals OF dis
tress: the hero striving bravely against
wind and tide. yet true to his love as
The needle TO the pole; presently the
two are waited by favoring gale
safely Into port
Again. In politics, the ship of state
sails on, a leader Is at the helm and
occasionally some high official is
thrown overheard by his party.
"Colloquially, we growl at an inter
rupter for Showing In his oar, we speak
Of two scoundrels as 'tarred with the
same brush +; we advise our friends to
go with the current: and we speak of
him to others as fair and above board,
Jack is a bit 'rakish' and sometimes
half seas over and If he does not re-
form he Will find himself high and dry
and laid up for good
Such terms as in good trim
snug berth to carry on at close
quarters, to AT out and so on, are ia
miliar to all-except their origin.
can give you the derivations OF a least
two OF them.
ITO carry on for example is to
Keep sail set longer than a careful
sailor would do. in other words reck-
lessness. The modern meaning Of close
quarters is pretty well understood; the
derivation. though. is probably little
known. Close quarters were strong
wooden barriers stretched across the
deck and used for retreat and shelter
when the ship was boarded. The old
slave ships were fitted In that way In
case OF the slaves getting loose, In the
old naval wars the term meant two
ships In action, with their sides touch
ing, as was often the case
THE sailor, on the other hand has
borrowed extensively from the lands
men. In the navy the ship has bon
nets and stays earrings and Jewel
blocks braces and sheets The
sailor dresses her TO receive company
and often puts her about You VIII
be asking me where / am bound and
10 clear out or that / am going
adrift. Then, again, you may fail
foul Of me. and be overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed. though. Is 4 true sea
word, being derived from the old Saxon
WYNN or wave."-New York Globe