Wordie: Three Sheets to the Wind: Comments

Comment by reesetee, about 1 month ago

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:26:43 +0000

Sorry, m--somehow I missed your comment until now. Added. :-)

Comment by mollusque, 7 months ago

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:55:13 +0000

How about mark twain?

Comment by reesetee, 8 months ago

Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:05:21 +0000

Nifty! Added. And I changed the list description, since some of the rest of these are also words and not phrases. :-)

Comment by chained_bear, 8 months ago

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 17:55:09 +0000

It isn't a phrase, but see careen.

Comment by chained_bear, 8 months ago

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 02:52:44 +0000

I won't be much help: I will merely, and joyfully and repeatedly, quote "Master and Commander." (The film, not the books.)

Comment by reesetee, 8 months ago

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 14:17:26 +0000

I'll get right on it. Maybe chained_bear can help. She knows all that history stuff.

Comment by bilby, 8 months ago

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:36:36 +0000

Start with tears welling up. It should involve the Duke of Wellington, a sea battle with Napoleon and and the acrid smoke of cannon fire bringing causing eyes to weep. And more.

Comment by reesetee, 8 months ago

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 20:28:21 +0000

Bilby, I...I don't know what to say. *tears welling up*

Thanks to you, I feel renewed energy to work on a whole slew of madeupical linguistic urban legends involving sailing ships.

Comment by bilby, 8 months ago

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 18:57:04 +0000

Regarding the apocryphal bit, I read this today in reply to a question about whether the word few originally meant eight, which was apparently the 'correct' answer to a quiz question:

"... your Quizmaster must have matriculated in a parallel universe, because 'few' never meant 'eight,' 'nine,' 'fourteen' or 'five billion,' not even in Old English, where all the truly wacko word origin stories seem to be born. Incidentally, if you ever do catch up with that guy, ask him why there aren't any boats in that story. Anybody knows you can't have a good linguistic urban legend without sailing ships." - www.word-detective.com (my emphasis)

And I thought of you ... isnt' that touching? ;-)

Comment by reesetee, 9 months ago

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 13:40:54 +0000

Thanks, c_b. Still working on this list and trying to get more info for the word pages. :-)

Comment by chained_bear, 9 months ago

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 16:16:53 +0000

Ooh, I didn't know that plow the raging sea or any of those similar phrases meant that. I thought they just meant the act of sailing for a living. Hm.

Also heard someone use the phrase "go by the boards" yesterday and was glad to know it was originally nautical. Cool!

Comment by reesetee, 9 months ago

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 15:58:06 +0000

Thanks, oroboros. That's what I meant--hadn't heard of "plow the briny deep" (or any of the "plow" phrases) as describing an exercise in futility. And thanks again for reminding me of wine-dark sea, which is indeed from Homer. Always loved that phrase.

Sionnach: Good grief! I'm staying home. ;-)

Chained_bear: Thanks. But don't forget, we came up with this list idea almost simultaneously. :-)

Comment by chained_bear, 9 months ago

Thu, 06 Dec 2007 01:50:32 +0000

Oh how I love this list. *sighs*

Yes, sionnach, I think it is Homer. Hence, "In the temple by the moonlight wah de do dah..." (Firesign Theatre)

Comment by sionnach, 9 months ago

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:17:25 +0000

Here is some practical advice by the inimitable C.E.C. Weigall, writing for the GIRL'S OWN PAPER, directed to those ladies who would go down to the sea in ships:

seafaring ladies

Comment by sionnach, 9 months ago

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:10:30 +0000

The wine-dark sea is originally Homer, I'm pretty sure. Often accompanied by the rosy-fingered dawn.

http://www.indepthinfo.com/articles/wine-dark-sea.shtml

Comment by oroboros, 9 months ago

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:59:36 +0000

Hmmm. Not that I'm aware of, other than just plowing the sea being a metaphor for an exercise in futility. The 'wine-dark sea' may be something I remember from one of the Patrick O'Brian novels. 'Go down to the sea in ships' just always sounded strange to me--like, do you mean embarkation or foundering?

Comment by reesetee, 9 months ago

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:26:18 +0000

Thanks, guys! Palooka, I've heard that aboveboard has its origin in gambling (keeping one's hands above the table to prove honesty). Oroboros, I'm familiar with the literal meanings of your first two suggestions, but have they taken on non-nautical connotations? Just curious. :-)

Comment by palooka, 9 months ago

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 23:20:22 +0000

Very comprehensive as usual! Others include leading light, take the wind out of his sails, above board.

Comment by oroboros, 9 months ago

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 18:30:11 +0000

'go down to the sea in ships'

'plow the briny deep'

'the wine-dark sea'

Comment by reesetee, 9 months ago

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 17:32:09 +0000

Thanks, all! Actually, chained_bear and I simultaneously came up with the idea. Creepy. ;-)

Sure, I'll add those, c_b. Some of these are clearly nautical (batten down the hatches, three sheets to the wind), but they're fun anyway. I have more (and some background on all of them)--just have to get to it.

Comment by chained_bear, 9 months ago

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:28:50 +0000

Even though you have brass monkey already, may I humbly suggest "brass monkey weather"?

Also I've been hearing plow the raging sea a lot lately, but maybe that's not idiomatic enough. Also it's pretty clearly nautical. Nevermind, I'll shut up now. Been a long day.

Comment by bilby, 9 months ago

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:44:05 +0000

Very entertaining. I was ready to walk the plank until I found this list.

Comment by SonofGroucho, 9 months ago

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:31:14 +0000

Epic list!

Comment by trivet, 9 months ago

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 21:00:34 +0000

I like the cut of this list's jib, reesetee!