ORY for kids ~
everyday
speech f rotn
esterday sailors of Y
There are words we use every day that come from our maritime heritage. Below are a few and where they came from.
first-rate In the 1700s, a person would never have been called "first-rate"-that designation would have applied only to a particular kind of warship. The British Royal Navy designated its sailing warships by ratings, from First rate to Sixth rate. First Raters were the largest ships and carried at least 100 guns (cannons). The only surviving First Rate ship of the line is HMS Victory, Admiral Horatio Nelson's flagship from the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Second Rate ships carried 90-98 guns, Third Rate ships had 64-89 guns, Fourth Raters had 50-60 guns and Fifth- and Sixth Rate vessels were frigates with 20-48 guns. Nelson's performance in the Bartle ofTrafalgar was FIRST RATE!
under the weather There are two popular explanations for where this expression comes from, but only one makes sense if you have ever been out on a rocking boat, big or small. The original expression was to be "under the weather bow." Mariners use the word "weather" as a synonym for windward. To be located under the weather bow, or anywhere near the windward bow, puts you in the roughest part of the ship where the wind is blowing strongest and where the waves are smashing on the hull. In rough weather, only those with the strongest stomachs would be able to stay there without feeling seasick.
The other explanation you might come across is that people who were feeling seasick would be sent below deck, out of (and under) the weather deck where, according to some, the movement was steadier. This explanation doesn't hold water, however, because anyone who has ever been seasick knows that you feel much worse down below deck, away from the fresh air and steady horizon.
cranky Of course, if you are feeling under the weather, you might be a little bit cranky or grouchy. A ship is cranky if it is top-heavy and heels or tilts over too easily and is in danger of capsizing. Sailing on a cranky boat is both uncomfortable and stressful, which would put even the most cheerful person in a sour mood.
~E:A
HISTORY 135. SUMMER 2011