Let’s start the new season of quizzing with a bang!
A ‘shot across the bows’ was similar to a policeman firing over a thief’s head warning him to stop running or else… The bows were the ‘shoulders’ of the ship. The phrase derives from the naval practice of firing a cannon shot across the bows of an opponent’s ship to show them that you are prepared to do battle.
Many phrases that have been adopted into everyday use originate from seafaring — especially from the days of sailing. Virtually all of these are metaphorical and the original nautical meanings are now forgotten. That association of travel and metaphor is significant in that the word metaphor derives from ancient Greek for ‘to carry’ or ‘to travel’. So ‘batten down the hatches’, ‘action stations’, and let’s ‘get underway’ to ‘fathom’ the answers to this quiz on nautical phrases that we use daily.
1. What phrase dates from the days of sailing ships when accurate navigational aids weren’t available and any ship that was out of sight of land was in an uncertain position and in danger of becoming lost?
2. The ‘Devil’ in nautical parlance referred to the seam between the deck planking and the topmost plank of the ship’s side. This seam would need to be watertight and would need filling (caulking) from time to time. On a ship at sea this would presumably require a sailor to be suspended over the side, or at least stand at the very edge of the deck — a risky business. What appropriate phrase originated from this?
3. This phrase refers to the fact that a good ship should be able to sail not just with the wind behind them (downwind) when large sails could be used to take advantage of the wind direction, but also ‘by the wind’ (into the wind) which required more skill and the use of triangular sails. What phrase is this which today means, ‘on the whole; generally speaking; all things considered’?
4. This phrase means ‘getting ready’. Although one word is often misspelt as ‘away’ the real meaning of the phrase refers to the fact that an anchor’s weight is being felt on the chain or rope by which it is being hauled up.
What phrase is this which is also the title of a 1945 MGM musical whose major highlight is a dance sequence featuring Gene Kelly and Jerry the cartoon mouse?
5. With reference to the previous question, what letter of the alphabet were sailors fond of adding to words like stern, board, shore, float, drift, ground, etc., to make new words?
6. This phrase means ‘in proximity to’ and generally refers to engaging with an enemy. In naval warfare sailors erected wooden barriers across the ship’s deck to provide an enclosed safe haven. Even though these cubicle like spaces were enclosed they had small openings through which they could fire a gun. What’s the phrase in question, and for extra points what were the small openings for guns called?
7. ‘To understand how to do something’ or ‘to be acquainted with all the methods required’ has a possible nautical origin when sailors had to learn which rope raised which sail and also had to learn myriad knots. But there is also a suggestion that it comes from the world of the theatre, where ropes are used to raise scenery etc. What phrase is this?
8. If this quiz is turning out to be a breeze then this phrase is just the one to use. But it actually had its origins in geometry where to calculate distances sailors considered the surface of the sea to be a flat surface rather than curved. This method of approximation made the calculations of distance much easier and simplified navigation. The first known use of the phrase with its correct spelling is in James Atkinson’s Epitome of the Art of Navigation of 1749, ‘Plane Trigonometry applied in Problems of Sailing by the Plane Sea-Chart, commonly called _____’ Easy to guess? What’s the phrase?
9. The next phrase means ‘stranded, without help or any hope of recovery’. This term originally referred to ships that were beached. One word in the phrase implies that not only were the ships out of the water, but had been for some time and could be expected to remain so. It was used in a ‘Ship News’ column in The London Times, August 1796, “The Russian frigate Archipelago, yesterday got aground below the Nore at high water, which; when the tide had ebbed, left her nearly _________.”
10. Certain people are very unpredictable and liable to cause ‘damage’ if not kept in check by others. A term describing this originates from the 17th century to the 19th century when wooden warships carried cannons as their primary offensive weapons. In order to avoid damage from their enormous recoil when fired they were mounted on rollers and secured with rope.
Nothing was more dangerous on a ship than a cannon that had become free of its restraints and was rolling dangerously about the deck. What’s the phrase?
Answers
1. ‘At sea’ which later became ‘all at sea’
2. Between the devil and the deep sea.
3. By and large. The earliest known reference to ‘by and large’ in print is from Samuel Sturmy, in The Mariners Magazine, 1669, “Thus you see the ship handled in fair weather and foul, by and large.”
4. Anchors Aweigh
5. The letter ‘a’ was added to make new words for example, ‘astern’, ‘aboard’, ashore’, ‘afloat’, ‘adrift’, ‘aground’, etc.
6. Close quarters / loop holes
7. Knowing the ropes
8. Plane-Sailing now spelt as plain sailing.
9. High and dry
10. Loose cannon
Navin Jayakumar, Opthamologist & Quizmaster. navinjay@yahoo.com