A1, Aback, Admiral

Where do so many of our commonplace sayings come from? Well, a lot of them come from our seafaring ancestors.

When Lloyds of London was founded by a group of marine insurance brokers they devised a system of grading ships and cargoes; ships by letter and cargoes by number.

“A” meant ship perfect, “1”cargo likewise, so we came to use the expression “A1” as meaning perfect, or the best.

Aback

“Aback” is slightly more involved, it being derived from a purely sailing ship term. When a square rigged sailing vessel suddenly caught the wind on the wrong side of her sails she would be stopped dead, or even driven astern. So a person taken by surprise is “taken aback”.

There are a great many words and phrases used in modern language that derive from the nautical, mainly the old sailing ship era. We use them quite happily because we know what they mean in a modern context, but haven’t the faintest notion of their origins.

Admiral

Hands up all those who know that this word originated from the Arabic “Amir”-ruler, “bahr”-sea. An Arabian sea commander was an Amir al Bahr or “ruler of the sea”. When we play the game, or fight, “to the bitter end”, we are once again using an expression attributable to ships and sailors. The bitt was a large timber to which the anchor chain or rope was secured. Therefore, when this chain or rope was let out as far as it would go it was known to have been payed out to the bitter end. “Bulls eye” also has a nautical connection. A bull’s eye on a sailing ship was a round or oval wooden block with a hole in the centre through which a rope would be led. The centre spot of a target has a resemblance to this block, as also the block has to an actual bull’s eye, hence the connection.

Taken Down a Peg

How often have we heard of someone being “taken down a peg”? Many times no doubt, but how often have we pondered the origins of this expression? It would seem to have started life in the tuning of stringed instruments, but gained strength through, once again, a custom in the Royal Navy. The height of a ship’s flag or colours, was regulated by the pegs on the hoisting line. The higher the flag the greater the importance of the visiting dignitary. Therefore, the lower down the scale of the visitor the lower the flag. Taking the flag “down a peg” decreased his honour.

Who would have thought that “hard up” had nautical origins? But, to put the ship’s helm hard up was to turn the vessel away from the wind, therefore, someone who had no money and faced a financial storm had to turn away and was said to be “hard up”.

Still on the salt water theme, equality of circumstance or opportunity came to be termed as being “all in the same boat”, for in the drastic situation of a shipwreck all distinction of class must be abandoned, each person must share the fate of all, everyone being “in the same boat”

British people were often dubbed “Limeys”, particularly by the Americans. In the old days when sailing ships spent weeks, sometimes months, at sea, the crews would often come down with scurvy due to the lack of a balanced diet. When it was discovered that lime juice was an effective anti-scorbutic it was issued to the men, so British ships became known as lime juicers, and the crew “Limeys”.

Close to the Wind

A popular term in common use is “sailing close to the wind”. We seem to understand this one by instinct, but once again it alludes to the relationship between sailing vessel and the wind. If the ship is pointing into the wind as much as if practicable she is in danger of being caught aback or even blowing over. A person who is living dangerously or pursuing an almost illegal path is “sailing close to the wind”.

Aboard the old windships waste fat from the galley was know as slush, and this was used to grease masts and rigging. Any surplus was usually the cooks perks to dispose of as he may, and he didn’t have to account for the money he made from selling it. Hence the term “slush fund” came to be used for cash that did not need to be accounted for.

Splice the Mainbrace

And so now let us “splice the mainbrace”, but first let’s find out a little more about this custom. The mainbrace of a square rigger was an essential part of the rigging, and to splice any of the worn parts was to strengthen it. Similarly, the crew were reckoned to be strengthened by strong drink, so during an action or in celebration thereof they were allowed a double rum ration. CHEERS!