Sea-Fever Southern California correspondent Mia C. recently sent over a link to an Art of Manliness post about nautical language embedding itself in our modern lexicon like a Somali pirate boarding a Saudi tanker under the cover of darkness. (Three Sheets to the Wind: Nautical Slang in Common Usage November 9, 2010)
What troubled me most about the post was their manly “claim” that C.A.N.O.E., the Committee to Attribute a Nautical Origin to Everything, is a “tongue-in-cheek (and completely fictional) organization.” Next thing you know they’ll “claim” things about Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and maybe even the Tooth Fairy.
Well, that’s ok, we’ll be happy to host and sponsor the next C.A.N.O.E. AGM at Sea-Fever blog world headquarters here in Mattapoisett.
Back to the post. My favorite nautical phrase in the Art of Manliness post is “son of a gun” which was new to me.
What’s your favorite?
Sea-Fever blog 