I was just writing to Dr. Bill that this year at school I 'know the ropes'--and then I immediately wondered, what exactly are these ropes people know? From whence came the expression? Anything to do with sailors' knots?
I claim this expression as a nauticalism. The new sailor on a wind-powered vessel was expected to "learn the ropes" by sorting out which lines raised, lowered and trimmed which sails. Once mastered, it could be said that the sailor "knew the ropes" and was therefor no longer a neophyte.
I was told that a new sailor was given one month to learn the ropes - all of them - on the ship after which mistakes were not accepted. Ever seen a tall ship? That's a lot of ropes.
>>>...after which mistakes were not accepted.
What happened if they did make a mistake?
The last rope they had to learn about was in the form of a noose - hung from the crow's nest - what they learned was that there was nobody alive who could tell them precisely what it was for!
bullshitting-e
Likewise the expression "get the hang of it" -- which refers to understanding how to "hang" the sails on a ship.
"get the hang of it" -- which refers to understanding how to "hang" the sails on a ship. Cool--I never knew that. Father Steve, you sure know a lot about ships!
Although I separated from active service in the United States Navy in 1971, the barnacles have yet to drop off from my bottom. I think the salt gets in the pores and stays there.
the barnacles have yet to drop off from my bottom.Y'oughta head on over to the wordorigins message board. They'll have an application for membership in CANOE (Committee for Attributing Nautical Origins for Everything) for you.
http://p066.ezboard.com/bwordoriginsorg
the barnacles have yet to drop off from my bottom Snort!
Ooh, that sounds a bit uncomfortable...