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Start Over with a Clean Slate A slate tablet was kept near the helm on which the watch keeper would record the speeds, distances, headings and tacks during the watch. If there were no problems during the watch, the slate would be wiped clean so that the new watch could start over with a clean slate.
Taken Aback A dangerous situation where the wind is on the wrong side of the sails pressing them back against the mast and forcing the ship astern.
At Loggerheads An iron ball attached to a long handle is a loggerhead. It was heated and used to seal the pitch in deck seams. Quarrelling crewmen were known to have used it as a weapon.
Fly-by-Night A large sail used only for sailing downwind and requiring rather little attention.
No Great Shakes When a cask became empty it was "shaken" (taken apart) so the pieces, called shakes, could be stored in a small space. Shakes had very little value.
Give (someone) a Wide Berth To anchor ships far enough away from each other so that they did not hit each other when they swung on their anchor with the wind or tide.
Garbled Garbling was the practice of mixing rubbish with the cargo.
Press Into Service Many vessels filled their ships' crew quotas by kidnapping men off the streets and forcing them into service. This was called Impressment and was done by Press Gangs. You might also know it as Shanghaied.
Touch and Go - This referred to a ship's keel touching the bottom and getting off again. Often during navigating shallow waters or those with many sand bars, the ship would touch and go.
Scuttlebutt A butt is a barrel. Scuttle means to put a hole in something. The scuttlebutt was a water barrel with a hole cut into it so that sailors could reach in and dip out drinking water. The scuttlebutt was the place where the ship's gossip was exchanged.
Under the Weather If a crewman is standing watch on the weather side of the bow, he will be subject to the constant beating of the ocean and spray. He is under the weather.
Overreach Should a ship hold its tack course too long, it will overreach its turning point and then it must travel much further to reach its next tack point.
Above Board Anything on or above the deck. If something is open and in plain view, it is above board.
Overwhelm Old English for capsize or founder.
Between the Devil and the
The Devil to Pay - To “pay” the deck seams meant to seal them with tar. The devil seam was the hardest to pay because it was curved and intersected with the straight deck planking. Some sources define the "devil" as the seam below the waterline, between the keel and the adjoining planking. Paying the Devil was considered to be a most difficult and unpleasant task.
Rummage Sale From the French word "arrimage" meaning ship's cargo. Damaged cargo was sold at a rummage sale.
A Square Meal In good weather, the crew was fed a warm meal served on square wooden platters.
Son of a Gun When in port, and with the crew restricted to the ship for any extended period of time, wives and ladies of easy virtue often were allowed to live aboard along with the crew. Upon occasion, children were born on board, and one convenient place for this was between guns on the gun deck. If the child's father was unknown, they were entered in the ship's log as "son of a gun".
Taking the wind out of his sails Sailing in a manner so as to steal or divert wind from another ship's sails.
Let the Cat Out of the Bag In the Royal Navy the punishment prescribed for most serious crimes was flogging. This was administered by the Bosun's Mate using a whip called a cat o' nine tails. The "cat" was kept in a leather or baize bag. Obviously it was not a good thing when the cat was let out of the bag.
No Room to Swing a Cat The entire ship's company was required to witness the flogging. Often the crew would crowd around so closely that the Bosun's Mate might not have enough room to swing his cat o' nine tails.
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