Boats and Ships
Nautical Expressions

1. Nelson's Blood. Ship's Rum. (Nelson's body was reputedly preserved in it.)

2. Pipe Down. Shut up. Also, a proper order to be silent.

3. Round the Buoy. To take a second helping at meals.

4. Son of a Gun. Complimentary term originally meaning a seaman born at sea. Derived from the period when wives of seamen lived on board in harbour and even, occasionally, at sea, and had to give birth in between the guns, since other deck space had to be kept clear.

5. Deep-sea Sailor. One who has sailed the seven seas, rather than on coasting ships.

6. Swallow the anchor. To leave the seal or to retire.

7. Jack Tar. Old nickname for a sailor, now used by seamen only in a slightly derogatory sense. Said to derive from the tarred canvas seamen used to wear in bad weather.

8. Know the ropes. To be experienced; know the dodges.

9. Sail close to the Wind. To take a chance, especially with authority or accepted ship standards.

10. Loggerheads (at). To quarrel or not see eye to eye. (Loggerhead, a tool for sealing seams and a handy weapon in an argument).

11. A Sailing Vessel, in relation to the Wind.
 In stays: headed directly into the wind, with steerageway
 In irons: headed directly into the wind without steerageway
 Luffing: the sails are not completely filled with the wind
 Reaching: the wind is blowing more or less on the vessel's beam
 Beam reaching: the wind is directly on the vessel's beam
 Broad reaching: the wind is blowing on the vessel's quarter
 Running free: the wind is blowing nearly full astern
 Running: the wind is blowing from astern

12. All hands on deck. When the going was rough, all sailors needed to be on deck, to man the pumps, go aloft, or in case of war, defend the ship in action. 'All hands on deck' was one of the many special commands blown by Bosun's Mates on thier specially shaped whistle, called a Bosun's call or whistle. Sometimes the whistles were blown as a salute, for visiting dignitaries, for weddings or burials.