Any many a sailing newsletter or online magazine with maritime news is title “scuttlebutt”.“Old Dan and I, with throats burned dry/And souls that cry for water, cool, clear water…” “Cool Water,” (1936), written by Bob Nolan, song recorded (1948) by singer and bandleader Vaughn Monroe, and the Sons of the Pioneers.”Īnyone whose word pronunciation is still tied to what I call “Brockton Speak”, will know where I was born and brought up, just by hearing me pronounce the name of the object, indoor or outdoor, that provides thirsty people with a drink of cool, clear water. Just like in modern day workplaces, loitering around the scuttlebutt was a popular pastime when the captain and officers were not paying close attention.Įven today, office “water cooler” gossip is sometimes referred to as “scuttlebutt.” In today’s Navy, a drinking fountain is still referred to as the scuttlebutt. Sailors’ drinking water was kept in a water barrel (called a butt) that had been “scuttled” with a hole to pour out a drink. So after a day of steering in bad weather, the pilot was “pooped.” Scuttlebutt?Īnd our final bit of nautical jargon explained is “scuttlebutt.” Some say that during heavy weather, the winds from the rear of the sailing ship would loft foam and sea spray from tall waves leaving the poop deck and the pilot quite wet. The poop deck was elevated so the captain and pilot would have a clear view over the front of the ship. The name “poop deck” comes from the French word for the stern, “la poupe.” The upper-most rear, or the stern where the ship’s wheel is located, was called the poop deck. Many people think that the poop deck was the location of the original heads, but no. Poop Deck Meaning, It’s Not What You Think Sheeps tail (or likely other device) nailed to a stick that they used to dip it in a bucket of water to tidy the backsides.Note this is where the expression “you little tow rag” comes from. A rag on a rope that got rinsed in the sea between use.The crew saved shakings (loose strands that worked out of the running rigging) to use when needed.A brush at the end of a line that trailed in the water, again all shipmates used the same brush.An aside: In Dutch, this piece of rope was called “allemanseind” which is currently the name for the braided piece of rope attached to the ship’s bell.
A piece of rope frayed at the end that in between wipings was dragged alongside the boat for cleaning…one rope for the entire crew.Wiping, if they did at all, was fashioned in a variety of ways: Read on to learn what sailors used for toilet paper and for more marine term origins like poop deck and scuttlebutt. Note the captain sometimes had a private toilet at the stern of the ship near his quarters and may have used a chamber pot which some unfortunate swabby had to empty. So, when the crew went potty, they went to the head of the ship…and the name stuck. With the wind blowing from the rear to the front as it does for sailing ships, the “head” (or front) of the ship was the best place for everyone for a sailor to relieve himself.
The toilet was located there set just above the water line with slots cut near the floor level to use wave action to wash the toilet. The front of ships had a figurehead: a carved wooden figure or bust fitted on the bow of the ship. For crewmen, the facilities were located at the head of the ships. The term “head” used for a marine toilet started because of the location of the toilet on the earliest sailing ships.
0 kommentar(er)
