Nautical Sayings and their Origins

So many of the phrases we use every day come from the language of sailors. Centuries at sea shaped English in ways we often don’t realise. Here are some fascinating nautical sayings and where they came from.

Over a Barrel

If someone has you over a barrel, you’re at a disadvantage. The phrase comes from an old punishment at sea: flogging. A sailor could be tied to a grating, a mast, or literally laid over a barrel to be whipped. With no way out, he was completely at the mercy of others.

Pipe Down

To pipe down means to be quiet. A bosun’s pipe (a high-pitched whistle) was used to give commands that could be heard over stormy weather or noisy crews. The final call of the day was the pipe down, ordering lights out and silence. Today, it’s still used to tell someone to stop talking – handy for noisy teenagers!

Cut of Your Jib

Complimenting the cut of your jib is praising someone’s appearance or style. The jib is the triangular sail at the front of a ship. Different nations had different styles of jibs, so sailors could often recognise a vessel’s nationality, and make judgments about it, by the cut of its jib.

A Shot Across the Bow

A shot across the bow is a warning, literal or figurative. In naval battles, a cannon shot fired just ahead of an opponent’s ship signalled that fighting was about to begin. Sometimes the warning alone was enough to prompt surrender.

The Bitter End

This phrase means “all the way to the end.” On a ship, the bitts were strong posts used to secure ropes. When a rope was played out completely until nothing remained to secure to the bitts, it had reached the bitter end.

Chance One’s Arm

To chance your arm is to take a risk. Naval officers wore their rank insignia on their sleeves. If they misbehaved or were demoted, the badges were stripped from their arms. Taking a chance could cost an officer his status – and his arm’s insignia.

If you enjoyed our nautical sayings then why not read our related articles: Sailing Terms and Nautical Terms

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