When you think about it, the English language abounds with maritime language. The sea has always been very important throughout British history. Carried in naval ships during the Age of Exploration, English traveled across the globe. Consequently it is spoken in almost every corner of the world today.
In turn, the sea has crept into the language we use every day.
Some nautical expressions: Where they come from, and how we use them today
Give (somebody, or something) a wide berth: A ‘berth’ is the area needed by a ship to dock (or ‘park’ in a harbour), so that it doesn’t hit other ships.
Modern day use – “She’s in a really bad mood today; I’d give her a wide berth”
To have a chip on your shoulder: People who worked in the docks were allowed to take home pieces of wood, or ‘chips’. They could only be one yard long. Therefore people were unhappy that they couldn’t take more home.
Modern day use – “Don’t talk to Mike about exams – he failed his last summer, so he’s got a chip on his shoulder about it now”
The bitter end: A ‘Bitt’ is a post on the ship, attached to a rope which can be tied to the dock. If all the rope is used, the ship can’t move any further.
Modern day use – “This film is awful, but I’m determined to stick it out to the bitter end”
High and dry: If a ship was beached, it was higher than sea level, and not in the water. It was therefore stranded, without hope of recovery.
Modern day use – “I was on a date with Dave, but we had an argument in the restaurant. Suddenly he got up and walked out, leaving me high and dry.”
The popular band Radiohead had a hit with the song “High and Dry“.
Shake a leg: When a ship was in harbour, the married sailors were allowed to have their wives on board. When the sailors were woken up the morning, the wives would show one leg out of their beds. They were allowed to stay in bed for an extra half an hour.
Modern day use – “I’m running late, but I’m off to work now” “Ok, shake a leg!”
Between the devil and the deep blue sea: A wooden post ran around the side of ship, called the “Devil plank”. When someone had to go under this post (e.g. to clean the ship), and therefore near the sea, they were in a very dangerous place.
This idiom has exactly the same meaning as “between a rock and a hard place”.
Today we would say – “We’re caught between the devil and the deep blue sea: we can’t afford to keep employing Julia, but if we make her redundant she’ll take us to court.”
To be taken aback: Sometimes the wind would change position suddenly from behind the sail to being in front of it. This would cause the ship to stop without warning and people on board would be thrown back – sometimes with dangerous consequences.
Today we would say – “I was really taken aback in that meeting; I didn’t think we’d be so affected by the budget cuts!”
Did you know…
– September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
– Actor Robert Newton (who famously played Long John Silver and Bluebeard) was from Cornwall, England, and had a strong West Country accent. Apparently this is where the ‘standard pirate’ accent originates from.
– ‘Arrr!’ is the archetypal pirate grunt.
– Former prostitute Lady Ching Shih was one of the most fearsome pirates in history. During the 1800s she commanded hundreds of Chinese pirate ships.
– Facebook has an English (Pirate) setting. For full pirate immersion, change your Facebook language for the day!
For more pirate lingo, see the Talk Like A Pirate Day official website (the Top 10 Pirate Pickup lines and English to Pirate translator are definitely worth a look!)
It’s not only the sea that has influenced language in the United Kingdom. See our guest post “We are not amused” about how the monarchy has given us certain expressions.
About the Author: This post comes to you from Natalie, English Trackers’ current intern. After graduating with a degree in Classics and English from Exeter University she moved to Beijing for six months to learn Mandarin.
Photo credit: mikebaird via photopin cc
Photo credit: Express Monorail via photopin cc
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Give me more!
Perhaps pirate accents aren’t your thing and you want to stick to a more… normal accent.
Check out this post for some tips and tricks.
‘Blue sky thinking’, ‘pushing the envelope’, ‘thinking outside the box’
Are these terms used in your workplace?