In wooden sailing ships the brass monkey was a three ringed brass plate beside each gun on which 3 cannon balls were placed with the fourth above to form a pyramid. ‘cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey’. If the cable was run out all the way it was at the bitter end and was at its limit.īlower: telephone, originated with the early speaking tubes used for communication between the Bridge and engine roomīlubber: to cry, originating from whaling days when fat globules looked like tear drops as the whale was flensed.īlue: Form of address between sailors and marines unfamiliar with each others names.īooby: a tropical sea bird which is very easy to catch once it has settled hence a booby prize is really no catch/prize at all.īrass monkeys: Cold. can refer to too much food or drinkīale out: comes from the old name ‘boyle’ for bucketīandy: traditional nickname for anyone with the surname Evansīirmingham screwdriver: A big hammer for fine adjustmentsīiscuit: kneaded cakes of flour baked with the least quantity of water possible and then stored as a bread substituteīitter end: The inboard end of a ship’s anchor cable was secured to special points called bitts. It is surprising how many of these of terms are still heard today… here are a few gems from the A’s to F’s:Ī1, the highest level of seaworthiness so to be A1 means of to be of the best qualityĪcross the ditch: Over the Channel in EuropeĪddled: drinking water that has become putrid, so addled means ‘gone off’Īll above board: anything above the deck so visible to anyone, now means fair and open business dealingĪll singing, all dancing: sarcastic comment about a piece of equipment claimed to solve a previously impossible problemĪrthur, Martha or Mabel: someone not sure of his job, confusedĪwash: half submerged. Naval slang would be part of his everyday language. The Royal Navy is the oldest organised fighting service in the world and those of us with British ancestors would more than likely have a sailor somewhere in the family tree, be he with the RN or the merchant marine such as the East India Company. If you have any suggestions on a phrase you aren't sure about, be sure to reach out to brandon dot turkus at autoblog dot com, and we'll be sure to feature it in the coming days.Jackspeak, a guide to Naval language which has become mainstream…. The reasoning for this isn't entirely clear, although as is so often the case, it's naval tradition, which tends to supersede all else. Submarines, meanwhile, are boats, despite wearing the same "USS" moniker. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers to the tinyĬyclone-class patrol ships, hence the USS (United States Ship) before each of their names (non-commissioned ships wear the "USNS" designation). In the US Navy, every commissioned surface vessel is a ship, from the hulking Things get more complicated than that – cargo vessels on the Great Lakes are commonly referred to as boats, despite their very large size – but we'll maintain our focus on the military. In other words, if there are smaller boats, like lifeboats, dinghies or runabouts that are onboard, the vessel is a ship. Today, we're going to start simple, by explaining the difference between a boat and a ship, something you'll need to understand if you're chatting with a sailor, particularly one that serves aboard a submarine.Īccording to the Naval Education and Training Command, is that you can put a boat on a ship, but you can't put a ship on a boat. As always, topics will have a decided lean towards the vehicles, ships and aircraft of the armed forces. Today, called "Military Terminology." As you may have guessed based on that rather obvious title, each day, we'll be posting a common military phrase, term or acronym and endeavor to explain what it means, how it was developed and if it has any other less official meanings. We're introducing a new daily feature at Autoblog Military
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |