When a Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There's the Devil to Pay: Seafaring Words in Everyday Speech [Paperback]

Olivia Isil (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1996

Have you ever wondered about the origin of "son of a gun," "flotsam and jetsam," or "hunky-dory"? You'll find the nautical derivation of these expressions and more than 250 others in this collection of nautical metaphors and colloquialisms. In addition, this book includes thought-provoking and entertaining examples of these words drawn from literature, movies, and song, and contains sections of legends of the sea and weather lore. Fascinating reading for sailors and language enthusiasts alike. Here's the scuttlebutt: Barge right in and swallow the anchor, and let's chew the fat and splice the main brace 'til we're three sheets to the wind. Listen, you son of a sea cook, I'm tired of minding my P's and Q's. I tell you, I'm all at sea, and this is the bitter end. Nothing I can do will keep this ship on an even keel. Hells bells! You think I didn't tell it to the old man? Delivered a broadside, I did, but he just called me a loose cannon. Maybe I caught him between wind and water. Listen, mate. You'd better bootleg a bible aboard. We're sailing under false colors, and where we're headed it's cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. It's Davy Jones' locker I'm talking about. The crew was scraped from the bottom of the barrel. They don't know the ropes, and anyway they're deserting like rats from a sinking ship. It's time to fish or cut bait, mate, or there'll be the devil to pay. No use flogging a dead horse. Let's stay armed to the teeth and look for any port in a storm. There'll be nothing but flotsam and jetsam when this tub goes down the hatch.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Isil's lifelong fascination with sea lore has led her to produce this compendium of nautical metaphors and colloquialisms that have "washed ashore" into modern speech. However, the book doesn't always "run on an even keel," as even Isil herself admits. Some of the entries detail lengthy histories or semantic developments, including examples in literature; others are very brief and to the point, while still others are either apocryphal or sail off on tangents (e.g., one never really learns the origin of "blood is thicker than water," only that the same naval commander who once used it was also implicated in the peculiar history of the Merrimac). A couple of chapters on weather lore and sea legends, myths, and superstitions complete the text. Although this colorful work is occasionally "first rate," enough of its bibliography is still in print to make it a low-priority purchase for reference purposes.
Cathy Sabol, Northern Virginia Community Coll., Manassas
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

``. . .this guide. . .will `buoy' your spirits and help you `learn the ropes.'' (Lakeland Boating )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 154 pages
• Publisher: International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press; 1 edition (April 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070328773
• ISBN-13: 978-0070328778
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 6.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,866 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Education & Reference > Dictionaries & Thesauruses > Slang & Idioms

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great little book for "the head"., December 16, 1999

By 

Bruce Boatner (Eagle, Idaho USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When a Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There's the Devil to Pay: Seafaring Words in Everyday Speech (Paperback)

It is intriguing to learn how many familiar expressions in our everyday speech have their origins at sea (having "washed ashore" as the author puts it). Many of these sayings started out as fairly technical naval terms.

For instance the "bitter end" is the tail-end of an anchor line that may disappear overboard if not properly secured (along with a sailor's reputation). To "flake out" means to lay chain out on deck so it may be inspected for weak links.

And I won't "let the cat out of the bag" (another entry) in regards to the ever-popular "cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey", except to say that it's NOTHING CLOSE to what you think it means! As always the author's voice is clear and refreshing as she recounts coaxing the explanation out of an old salt. (I can't help thinking that it is the woman's perspective on the subject that helps make this little book so delightful.)

The book is divided up into "Metaphors and Colloquialisms", "Wind, Waves and Weather", and "Yarns of the Sea, Legends, Myths and Superstitions". I recommend a randomized reading approach to best savor the little surprises.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lovely book full of seagoing lore..., March 25, 2000

By 

Laura Haggarty (Northern KY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When a Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There's the Devil to Pay: Seafaring Words in Everyday Speech (Paperback)

This book is a gem! It's full of history and lore related to the sea and those who sail upon it. It has over a hundred pages of interesting information regarding the derivation of words and phrases used in everyday speech. My husband was raised on the seacoast of Nova Scotia, and I've spent many summers on the coast of North Carolina, so we are no strangers to the sea and sailing. This book made a perfect gift for him this past Christmas.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book!, March 3, 2007

By 

Joel DiGirolamo - See all my reviews
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This review is from: When a Loose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There's the Devil to Pay: Seafaring Words in Everyday Speech (Paperback)

I'm now having to purchase my third copy of this book! I buy a copy, loan it out and then never see it again! It is truly amazing to find out how many of our colloquialisms come from the sea. Buy this book and you will enjoy every minute of it.