Classic Sea Terms

• Ash Breeze - oar power

• Baboon watch - The person standing watch while the rest of the crew is on leave, usually the apprentice.

• Beat - sail as close into the wind as possible bv continually tacking

• Beating the booby - swimming the arms in cold water to increase

• Beam reach - the wind is directly on the vessel's beam

• Before the wind - sailing downwind as possible

• Bird's nest - tangled rope

• Black gang - engine room crew

• Black squall - a sudden strong wind that comes, with a dark line on the surface

• Blood money - payment to an agent for the recruitment of a seaman

• Blowing up and down - a dead calm

• Bluenose - Novascotiaman

• Brass hat - naval officer with rank of commander or above

• Bricklayer's clerk - a sailor who acts like he above it all

• Broad reach - the wind is blowing on the vessel's quarter circulation

• Bubbleheads - ships divers (standard helmets) 

• By the fee - the vessel is running, but with the wind blowing from the same quarter as the boom is lying

• Cape Horn fever - the feigned illness of a malingerer

• Cat's paw - a small puff that ruffles the surface of the water

• Catch a crab - an oar caught aback when rowing

• Capful - a heavy wind of the sea froth

• Clearing for Guam - getting under way to nowhere

• Clear lower deck - all hands muster on the upper deck

• Close-hauled; aka on the wind, by the wind - sailing as close to the wind

• Deadeye watch - 4 am to 8 am watch

• Dead horse - sailor's debt for advance wages

• Dock walloper - a person who walks around the dock "checking things out"

• Dogs running before their master - the heavy swell in advance of the hurricane

• Dutch courage - fearlessness brought on by strong drink

• Dying man's dinner - food quickly prepare during an emergency

• Full-and-bye - sailing almost close-hauled, with all sails filled and pulling strongly

• Fourth class liberty - watching the shore when confined to the ship

• Fuel fever - fuel oil in short supply

• Gash - rubbish

• Galley news - gossip and rumor

• Gasoline breeze - same as above, for those who prefer motoring over rowing

• Gongoozler - a person who stands around the waterfront with his hand in his pockets, watching other people do things

• Graveyard watch - 12 - 4 am

• Granny knot - failed, un-seamanlike attempt at a square knot

• Half seas over - just short of being drunk

• High pressure hat - an officer's cap

• Haul the wind - steer as nearly into the wind as possible

• Heave to - allow the sails to cancel each other out, thus keeping the ship stationary

• Homeward bound stitches - excessively long sewing stitches, taken in a hurry

• Hot bunk - a bunk used successively by more than one sailor

• In stays - headed directly into the wind, with steerageway

• In irons - headed directly into the wind, without steeragewav

• Irish hurricane - a flat calm

• Irish pennant - loose irregular end

• Jackass brig - a variation of the brigatine rig

• Jimmy the one - first lieutenant or executive officer

• Lee side - the opposite to the weather side

• Lee tide - a tidal current that carries a vessel away from the wind

• Lie to - in a gale set only enough saiI to keep the ship's head to the wind

• Livina gale - a severe storm

• Luffing - the sails are not completely filled with wind

• Limer juicer (also Limey) - British vessel or sailor

• Make a sternboard, or make stern way - go astern

• Make lee way - go sideways, away from the wind

• Metal or Iron, Mike - mechanical self steering

• Nantucket sleigh ride - a whaleboat towed out of control by a harpooned whale

• North River Jibe - uncontrolled standing jibe

• Off the wind - sailing with the wind on the beam or quarter

• Blowing up and down - a dead calm

• Paper jack - a licensed captain seen to be incompetent

• Paddy's hurricane - same as above

• Pig boat - a submarine

• Reach - the wind is blowing, more or less on the vessel's beam

• Rocks and Shoals - the portion of naval regulations concerning punishment for crimes

• Rope -Yarn Sunday - an afternoon off devoted to washing and sewing clothes

• Sailor's blessing - a curse

• Scud - sail downwind before a strong wind or gale

• Seaman's disgrace - a fouled anchor

• Soldier - a sailor who dodges work

• Soldier's breeze - a fair, light wind

• Soup jockey - Ships officers steward

• Tack - go from one tack to another with the' bow passing through the wind

• Targets - submariner term for surface ships

• Tom Cox's traverse - dodging work by making frequent trip to the

• To weather - to pass on the weather side of anything scuttlebutt "searching" for the proper tool, etc.

• Upper scupper - upper deck

• Waffoo - flight deck hand

• Weather side - the side against which the wind blows

• Weather tide - a tidal current that carries a vessel toward the wind

• Wear - go from one tack to another with the stern passing through the wind

• White squall - a sudden wind so strong that it turns the surface of the sea to white