Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-13
SEA LINGO,
Some Seafaring Terms and Their Real
Meanings-The Devil"

From London T. P.'s Weekly.
Many Of our terms for the technicalit!ee
or seafaring have long been woven into the
speech and thought OF the British nation.
as IT is 10 be expected when there is not "A
single inhabitant of the British Isles living
over hundred miles from salt water
Though our sea lingo is our very own.
similar In some cases to the Dutch and
with borrowings from the Portuguese and
Mediterranean nations. few OF the lands
men who use them freely have any idea
as TO their true meaning and derivation.
For example. "frst-rate" How many OF
those using the term know that II was
originally purely naval. representing In
the days of wooden walls. a ship OF a hun
dred guns and upward? OF ship terms now
passed into colloduial use there is capital
example in There's the devil to pay and
No pitch hot completes the saying The
devil in this case does not refer to his
satanic majesty, nor does pay" refer to
any payment. The devil is or was the
name used by calkers for the deck seam
next the waterway. and TO pay, as all good
seamen know, Is to pour hot pitch into a
calked seam. Hand over hand is another
phrase that had Its birth in the days when
quick-footed tars climbed the rigging
There are many popular teri IS. pIny and
sinewy, deriving from the old days of Brit
ish seafaring. When we praise a man for
MS honesty, we say that he is above
board; for his general worth that he IL
AL" for his smartness. that he knows
the ropes. There are certain sea terms
that are very expressive even to the lands
man. If unexpected trouble comes he IL
taken all aback." like ship I'm fun sail
by sudden change of wind. When all Is
past remedy, he is ION his beam ends
Just as the unfortunate vessel is thrust
down on her leeward side by the fury Of
the storm. The man in misfortune may
nave friends who are in the same boat
with him. and if he has saved nothing at
- Of lig f,,-t,Y
all at sea- Indeed. 1t is easy to write n
graphic story of a catastrophe in public or
private life in language all borrowed from
the sea. yet now wholly assimilated by
landsmen.
There are other terms that are used by
the well-educated more or less consciously.
II the company which man is in is not
10 his liking he perhaps will sheer off 49,
that is. leaves the old course for "A new
one. or haul off," which in sea lingo
means fiattening in the sheets in order 10
lie closer to the wind. and thus shake of
the chase: but II he cannot do this he may
cut and run'-that is. the vessel cuts her
cable and runs before the wind. Perhaps
he Will not do this till he is absolutely
compelled, and then he'll never say die
while there's shot in the locker" IL We
pride ourselves for our caution II is be-
cause we keep our weather eye lifting
ana consider the person We are dea..ng with
by the cut of his jb." Perhaps the object
or our suspicious may show himself in his
true colors''-that is. the vessel shows her
nationality by flying her ensign at the peak
The sailor of the past century was full OF
strange sayings II piece of beef ap-
peared in his mess kit rather more grstly
and unappetizing than usual, he swore It
was the bit between the horns" He COM
pared clumsy fellow to a Cow handling
a musket," and man doing anything reck-
lessly. without judgment, was like "A pull
at gate. One of the old SMILES is very
expressive. or one of those men who jump
about, apparently doing their work smart
ly, yet In reality effecting but little, Jack
says he Is all hell and no notion" Pursers
as Is only to be expected, came in for small
praise from him. "Old Binch-Cut" old
explain the reason of the pursers unpopu-
them that they chose their assistants for
the size of their thumbs, for these Inserted
In the pannikins greatened his ill-gotten
gains In proportion they lessened the
seamen's grog.
Pursers thumb is the SYNONYM for n
curtailed allowance. and 'pursers grin" Is
the term denoting the sneers and gibes and
houting with which the complaints were
usually answered. For the various stages
OF being in liquor. Jack Sailorman has a
large and expressive vocabulary. You may
begin by splicing the main brace" This
leads TO being tight" which course OF
folly being persisted in ends in your being
slewed'-that is, heeling over like vessel
going about With three sheets in the
wind you stagger about like a ship gyrat-
Ing with her three chief sails flying loose.
and usually you brought up by the
round turn'-that is, the grip Of a con-
stables hand on your shoulder.