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    Military & Nautical Phrases: Etymology: The Origins of Nautical & Military Phrases
    Military & Nautical Phrases: Etymology: The Origins of Nautical & Military Phrases
    Military & Nautical Phrases: Etymology: The Origins of Nautical & Military Phrases
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    Military & Nautical Phrases: Etymology: The Origins of Nautical & Military Phrases

    By Albert Jack

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    About this ebook

    From the Author of the Internationally Bestselling Red Herrings & White Elephants, Pop Goes the Weasel, What Caesar did for My Salad, Shaggy Dogs, They Laughed at Galileo:

    Many times, during every single day, all of us will use what is known as an Idiom. Idioms are words and phrases, which those of us with a native English tongue take for granted as we have grown up to recognise their meaning. That is despite the words being used having absolutely nothing at all to do with the context of a conversation we are having.

    For example if I explained I am writing this preface ‘off the cuff’, and with no preparation, you would immediately recognise it as an unprepared piece being written in one take, spontaneously and then left as it is (which, by the way, it is). But why do I call that ‘off the cuff’ when it has nothing to do with my cuffs or being either on or off them. Or if I suggested everything in this book was absolutely true, I can emphasis that statement by insisting every word in here is ‘straight from the horse’s mouth’. Again, we all know that means it has come directly from the source of information and is therefore reliable. But I haven’t got a horse. I have never spoken to one and unless I can find one that wins more often, even when I hedge my bets, then I might have nothing to do with any of the beasts again.

    Those little phrases appear in conversation all over the English speaking world, every minute of the day, and we take them for granted. And many of them have evolved from a particular event, or repeated events, or even perhaps a significant figure from history. There are thousands of them that have been covered in my books Red Herrings and White Elephants, Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep or It’s a Wonderful World. In this volume, however, we are going to concentrate only on those with a nautical or military history. I know you have heard many of them before and probably even use them regularly. Now, you are going to love finding out where they came from in the first place and how they became part of the rich English language.

    ----
    When we 'Turn a Blind Eye' it suggests we know what is going on and what is about to happen, but fail to take any action to alter the situation. It is a phrase emanating from one of the most significant events in British naval history. During the Battle of Copenhagen, in 1801, the commander of the British Fleet, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, watched as Horatio Nelson launched an attack on the Danish navy. At one point, Parker felt that the fleet was taking unnecessary risks and bearing unacceptable losses, so he ordered Nelson, via a series of flags, to disengage with the enemy.

    But when Nelson’s officers pointed out the order, he famously raised a telescope to his blind eye and replied: ‘Order, what order? I see no flags.’ Nelson then returned his attention to the battle at hand and soundly defeated the Danes. This was famously reported in The London Times as ‘Naval Hero Turns His Blind Eye to Orders and Wins Historic Victory.’ On his return to London, he was made a viscount and put in overall command of the Channel Fleet, which led to his defining moment at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

    Register for more of Albert Jack’s History Books at albertjackchat.com

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlbert Jack
    Release dateNov 12, 2015
    ISBN9781310867200
    Military & Nautical Phrases: Etymology: The Origins of Nautical & Military Phrases

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      Book preview

      Military & Nautical Phrases - Albert Jack

      Military & Nautical Phrases

      Etymology: The Origins of Nautical & Military Phrases

      (2014 eBook Edition)

      Albert Jack

      Albert Jack Publishing

      Copyright Page

      Military & Nautical Phrases:

      Etymology: The Origins of Nautical & Military Phrases

      (2014 eBook Edition)

      Copyright © February 2104 Albert Jack

      Cover Design: Albert Jack

      ebook Production: Albert Jack Publishing

      All rights are reserved to the author. no part of this ebook may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

      This is largely a work of non-fiction although the author could not resist the temptation to be creative with historical detail wherever possible.

      Albert Jack Publishing

      PO Box 661

      Seapoint

      Cape Town

      South Africa

      albertjack.com

      albertjackchat (facebook & Twitter)

      albertjackchat.com

      Albert Jack’s Other Books - here

      About the Author

      Albert Jack is a writer and historian. His first book, Red Herrings and White Elephants explored the origins of well-known idioms and phrases and became an international bestseller in 2004. It was serialised by the Sunday Times and remained in their bestseller list for sixteen straight months. He followed this up with a series of bestsellers including Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep, Pop Goes the Weasel and What Caesar did for My Salad.

      Fascinated by discovering the truth behind the world’s great stories, Albert has become an expert in explaining the unexplained, enriching millions of dinner table conversations and ending bar room disputes the world over. He is now a veteran of hundreds of live television shows and thousands of radio programmes worldwide. Albert lives somewhere between Guildford in England and Cape Town in South Africa.

      Extracts from Red herrings & White Elephants, Shaggy Dogs & Black Sheep and

      It’s a Wonderful Word

      By Albert Jack

      Red Herrings and White Elephants

      Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep

      Phantom Hitchhikers

      Loch Ness Monsters and other Mysteries Solved

      Pop Goes the Weasel

      The Old Dog and Duck

      What Caesar did for My Salad

      It’s a Wonderful Word

      Albert Jack – Part 1

      Albert Jack – Part 2

      The Jam: Sounds from the Street

      Want To Be a Writer? Then Do it Properly

      The President’s Brain is Missing

      New World Order

      9/11 Conspiracy

      They Laughed at Galileo

      The Greatest Generation

      Introduction

      Many times, during every single day, all of us will use what is known as an Idiom. Idioms are words and phrases, which those of us with a native English tongue take for granted as we have grown up to recognise their meaning. That is despite the words being used having absolutely nothing at all to do with the context of a conversation we are having.

      For example if I explained I am writing this preface ‘off the cuff,' and with no preparation, you would immediately recognise it as an unprepared piece being written in one take, spontaneously and then left as it is (which, by the way, it is). But why do I call that ‘off the cuff’ when it has nothing to do with my cuffs or being either on or off them.

      Or if I suggested everything in this book was absolutely true, I can emphasis that statement by insisting every word in here is ‘straight from the horse’s mouth.' Again, we all know that means it has come directly from the source of information and is therefore reliable. But I haven’t got a horse. I have never spoken to one and unless I can find one that wins more often, even when I hedge my bets, then I might have nothing to do with any of the beasts again.

      Those little phrases appear in conversation all over the English speaking world, every minute of the day, and we take them for granted. And many of them have evolved from a particular event, or repeated events, or even perhaps a significant figure from history. There are thousands of them that have been covered in my books Red Herrings and White Elephants, Shaggy Dogs and Black Sheep or It’s a Wonderful World.

      In this volume, however, we are going to concentrate only on those with a nautical or military history. I know you have heard many of them before and probably even use them regularly. Now, you are going to love finding out where they came from in the first place and how they became part of the rich English language.

      An Albatross Around One’s Neck is considered to be a lifelong burden from which there is no escape. In 1798 Samuel Taylor Coleridge published The Rime of the Ancient Mariner in his book Lyrical Ballard’s and a Few Other Poems. The rhyme tells the story of a sailor whose ship was trapped by ice and who was visited by an albatross. The bird was regarded as a lucky symbol at sea and, sure enough, soon afterwards the vessel was freed from the ice. But then the hungry mariner shot the albatross and almost instantly a curse befell the ship.

      The furious crew hung the dead bird around the sailors’ neck as a punishment but one by one each of the crew then died, leaving the mariner alone. Then, whilst watching the beautiful sea-snakes, in the waters around the ship, the mariner began blessing them all and the albatross dropped from his neck. The ship was once again freed and his life saved. From then on the man travelled the earth telling his tale and encouraging the love of all god’s creatures. The moral of the story is that an albatross is a symbol of personal guilt from which any freedom must be earned.

      Somebody who is Aloof is regarded as unapproachable and keeps others at an emotional distance. This expression originated during the mid 16th century and comes from the Dutch word loef, meaning ‘windward.' Throughout the navy, a ‘luff’ then became the word meaning ‘away and to windward,' which would indicate a ship was sailing along a lee shore, setting her bows close to the wind and away from land, to prevent herself being blown ashore. From the land this would look as if a ship had her back to you, metaphorically speaking, with her head held high. Technically speaking, the ship was ‘a luff’ (aloof).

      The expression AWOL is something we might apply to a friend or colleague whose absence cannot be explained as they are not wherever they should be. Originally, in military terms at least, the expression meant ‘missing without permission’ and was applied to soldiers who were absent for a short period of time and then returned to their ranks. During the American Civil War, offenders were forced to wear a placard around their necks with

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