- Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 12
“Bottoms Up” A cheerful toast today, this phrase has darker origins. During an era when unsuspecting men were tricked into naval service, recruiters would slip a coin into the bottom of a beer glass. If the drinker accepted the beer-and the coin-they were deemed to have “accepted payment” and were forcibly pressed into the Royal … Read more - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 11
“At Loggerheads” A loggerhead was a long-handled iron tool, heated to seal deck seams with pitch. However, it occasionally found another use during onboard disputes, serving as a makeshift weapon among quarrelling sailors. “At loggerheads” now describes intense arguments or standoffs, echoing the heated confrontations of the past. Written by Lindsey - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 10
“A clean slate” Deck slates, would be used as deck logs to keep note of important navigational information like knots, fathoms (depth of the water) and wind speed. At the end of the night shift when the calculations were no longer useful, the slate would be wiped clean by the new officer on watch. Today, … Read more - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 9
“In the dog house” On the upper deck was a small cabinlike structure which supported the ships large steering wheel(helm). That cabin was just large enough for one sailor to fit into as a cramped quarter. Frequently, used for unruly sailors would be sentenced to spend time in the cramped quarters, referred to as the … Read more - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 8
“To have things all sewn up” When a sailor died on board, they would be sewn into their hammock or a canvas sailcloth. They would then be weighted down before being buried at sea. Now the phrase has a slightly less morbid meaning: if you have things ‘all sewn up’, it means you’ve completely finished … Read more - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 7
“Turn a blind eye” To “turn a blind eye” means to ignore or pretend not to see something. This phrase comes from the story of British Admiral Horatio Nelson during the Battle of Copenhagen in 1801, where he reportedly pretended not to see a flagship’s signal to retreat by putting his glass eye to his … Read more - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 6
“Loose cannon” If a cannon on board a ship broke free from its securing ropes, it would pose a danger to both the ship and its crew. Nowadays we might describe someone as a ‘loose cannon’ if they are known to be dangerous and unpredictable. Written by Lindsey - Advent calendar 2025 – Day 5
“Cut and run” If a ship needs to make a quick getaway in the face of danger, there may not be enough time to raise the anchor. To prevent damage to the ship therefore, a crew might decide simply to cut the anchor free and ‘run’ for safety. ‘Cut and run’ today usually means to … Read more - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 4
”The bitter end” The bitter end is the final part of an anchor chain or rope that secures the anchor to the ship. To reach the bitter end was to have the chain or rope extended as far as it can go. Similarly, if you say you’ve reached the ‘bitter end’ today, it means you’ve … Read more - Advent Calendar 2025 – Day 3
“Not enough room to swing a cat” The word ‘cat’ within this phrase doesn’t refer to a feline, but rather to a whip called the ‘cat-o’-nine-tails’. A flogging with a cat-o’-nine-tails was an infamous naval punishment. it was too cramped to swing the whip below deck – hence this phrase was born. Today you might … Read more