Guest Author - Yvonne Russell

Many words and phrases used in business and everyday life originated from nautical terms.

Boats and ships were the earliest form of transport. So it makes sense that many of today’s words and phrases have a nautical flavour. Today some original meanings and uses of the words and phrases have changed. Nevertheless, business people and travelers owe a lot to the early sailors. Some word and phrase origins may surprise you. Other words and phrases, when you give them more thought, have a clear link to their nautical origins.

Have you had to take the helm or pour oil on troubled waters? Maybe you’ve decided not to flog a dead horse and take it easy. Perhaps it’s time to tackle a brand new project. Word and phrase origins are an interesting snapshot of our nautical heritage.

Watch out for Pirates
Business and business travel these days is not always easy. But spare a thought for business owners and business travelers on early ships. Words and phrases you use today to talk to customers, colleagues and suppliers originated from a time and place when life was a hard slog for most.

Just like many businesses today, those on board ship, also had to worry about hostile takeovers. In their case, it was the much feared sight of the Jolly Roger, signalling a pirate attack.

Many modern day business owners tell of pirates in business. Pirates or not, today’s business world often seems to have its fair share of sharks and an ocean of words. Do you get my drift?

Time to cheer up! Exploring word and phrase origins can be fun.


TRY THESE WORD AND PHRASE ORIGINS

Take the helm. The helm is the ship’s steering wheel. The helmsman controls the direction of the ship when he “takes the helm".

Pour oil on troubled waters. When the sea was rough, oil was poured or dripped overboard. As oil floats on water, it caused an oil slick. This calmed the rough seas or “troubled waters”, for a safer journey.

Flog a dead horse. The “dead horse” was the term sailors used to refer to the one month’s pay advance, given before the trip. Sailors often felt they were working for nothing for that period, as the money had usually been spent. Officers trying to get extra work out of the unmotivated sailors felt it was like “flogging a dead horse”.

Take it easy. When hauling in the sails more slowly and carefully, the sailor may have been responding to an order of "Easy". Taking the pressure off the sails by "easing off" and slackening them, meant that less wind slowed the pace. Today, we use "take it easy" in the sense of having a break. It can also mean slowing down and taking care when doing a job.

Tackle. Sailors, even today, use a block and tackle rope and pulley system to lift heavy weights, making the job easier. To “tackle” a task is associated with getting down to hard work and getting the job done.

Jolly Roger. Pirates flew their own version of fearsome flags to instil terror into others when ready to attack. The Jolly Roger is the black flag with skull and crossbones which we commonly associate with pirates. However, nautical scholars indicate that there is no evidence that the Jolly Roger flag was ever widely adopted by pirates.

Drift. This usually refers to the movement (direction or distance wise) of a ship by the tide or wind. “Do you get my drift?” refers to the direction a person is taking with their stance or argument. We also talk about "drifting" off to sleep and he "drifted" in and out of the meeting.