List of Nautical Metaphors - Nautical

Nautical

• Taken aback, on a square-rigger the sails were 'taken aback' when the wind was blowing on the wrong side of the sails causing a dangerous situation. Later used to indicate a difficult or unexpected situation.
• Batten down the hatches
• Clear the decks to get everything out of the way as a warship went into action.
• Show someone the ropes to show or explain to someone how to do a task or operation. Taken from the use of ropes to orient and adjust the sails.
• Sail close to the wind is to operate hazardously on very slim margins, usually applied in a financial sense. Derived from the technique of sailing close to the direction of the oncoming wind.
• Loaded to the gunwales
• Back and fill
• On one's beam ends
• Awash
• Adrift
• Flagship
• Unmoored
• Nail one's colours to the mast
• Flying the flag
• Plain sailing
• With flying colours - the colours was the national flag flown at sea during battle, a ship would surrender by lowering the colours and the term is now used to indicate a triumphant victory or win.
• In the doldrums
• All hands to the pumps
• Weathering a storm
• A different tack
• Swinging the lead is to avoid duty by feigning illness or injury, original a confusion between Swing the leg which related to the way dogs can run on three legs to gain sympathy and the sailor's term heaving the lead which was to take soundings.
• Left high and dry
• Three sheets to the wind, meaning "staggering drunk," refers to a ship whose sheets have come loose, causing the sails to flap uncontrolled and the ship to meander at the mercy of the elements. Also, "Three sheets in the wind, unsteady from drink."
• Sun over the yardarm: This phrase is widely used, both afloat and ashore, to indicate that the time of day has been reached at which it is acceptable to have lunch or (more commonly) to have an alcoholic beverage.
• "Take soundings": In suspected shallow waters, a crew member may have the task of repeatedly throwing into the water a lead line, or piece of lead tied to a string knotted every fathom, for the purpose of estimating the depth of the sea. This saying the nautical equivalent of "Take the lay of the land": see how things are going, or see what people think about a proposed course of action.
• "By and large" comes from a term for sailing a ship slightly off of the wind
• "To the bitter end" may have originally referred to a rope fastened to the bitt, a post attached on the deck of a ship., although this etymology has been disputed