Wordsmith.org: the magic of words

Wordsmith Talk

About Us | What's New | Search | Site Map | Contact Us  

Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 8 of 11 1 2 6 7 8 9 10 11
#25410 04/12/01 06:53 PM
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
W
wwh Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
W
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Not nautical, but many oldtimers in New England believed the northeast winds caused their arthritis symptoms to be made more troublesome. One mildly odd character would not get out of bed if his weather vane indicated wind from northeast. So a boy tied a fine thread to his weathervane to keep it pointing to the northeast. The victim stayed in bed for over a week, allegedly.


#25411 04/12/01 07:38 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Yes, rodward, the literal meaning of "list" is "to lean to one side"...but I have only heard it used in nautical terms when referring to a sinking ship

I once read a maritime adventure based on a fact that spoke of a vessel being towed some hundreds of miles to Halifax while listing 30 or 60 degrees. It's not my impression that "to list" refers to the ship going down at all, even though listing heavily would probably lead to it.



#25412 04/12/01 09:29 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
rodward wrote in reference to "nor'easter": >At least that is certainly a foul-weather hat."


The term may pertain exclusively to the hat or head-gear seaman don for stormy weather...I seem to remember a picture describing "an old salt..there's another one, "OLD SALT!"...wearing his nor'easter" as a head shot.

And it's interesting that it's called a "sou'wester" on the other side of the pond!


#25413 04/12/01 09:46 PM
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
M
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
M
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
And, how 'bout MATE, MATES, and MATEY!?...How did our voices from Down Under miss this one

Good question. "Matey" is not much used here, but thee was a TV ad, (from OZ, I think) shown here in which "mate" was almost the only word spoken.


#25414 04/12/01 09:52 PM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
inselpeter wrote: >It's not my impression that "to list" refers to the ship going down at all, even though listing heavily would probably lead to it.<

Are we getting bogged down in the semantics of image here? If a ship is taking on water causing it "to lean" or "to list" it is then "in the process of sinking"...no, it doesn't actually have to sink all the way...but it has sunken to a degree. How else to convey the word "list" in the context of the image? If a boat is "listing" at the bow, it is then sinking at the bow...is it not? Is a boat ever listing because it is not-sinking? Can anybody else help "bail me out"?...There we go!...If a boat is taking on water you bail it out because it is sinking...if you bail fast enough it won't actually sink...but while you are bailing the boat it certainly is in the process of sinking. And suddenly I'm thinking of R.D. Laing's "Knots"! I'll swim off toward my life-raft now...


Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Faldage wrote about "listing": >Unbalanced cargo could cause the same condition.<

True. A shift in cargo or other factors could cause a vessel to list. Many of the clammers (clam boats) in this area have that problem because of the regulations...they are only allowed to go out at certain times and tend to overload...so many of them go down when the clam-cargo shifts in the hold (not to say that a boat HAS to go down when the cargo shifts, guys!) But, actually, I've lost a few friends that way. I just thought the image of a foundering or sinking ship was the classic example of the word list or listing. I see, now, that literalism is part of the fun of the wordplay here...I'll make a note of that.

And all this semantical dissection of "listing" brought this to mind, so here it is:

Can a submarine sink if it's already submerged? Or at the bottom? Do we need a new word? Or do we need to say "losing air," "lost air," or "lost all air" instead?


#25416 04/13/01 04:54 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Re: Whitman'o's insisting, listing takes on water
***
No! A ship will list if her ballast shifts and still keep all her scuppernongs dry if unlikely. But look, we're pushing a dead bull up a hill with a rope and a blue ball, or is that what ~presidents are not elected to do?

On a lighter note (?), tonight is one of those nights you'd drown in here in summer--not yet pea soup, but a fine, rolling mist, which brings me to brass tacks. Is "pea soup" a nautical turn--I learned it on a gaf rigger off the Massachusetts shore and also to call "suds" the Balatine Ale that might as well have been. Nonce nauticals, or nauticals in blood and salt? We were still well south of rough water and the Reef of Norman's Woe. If I'd a story to tell surpassing one line, I'd draw a yarn of it like pulling taffy and keep it to myself so all them could wonder that wouldn't.



Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Can a submarine sink if it's already submerged? Or at the bottom? Do we need a new word? Or do we need to say "losing air," "lost air," or "lost all air" instead?

(First of all, precision and "literal" are not the same, [hurumph emoticon] )

But to the point: my guess, which is subject to amendment, would be that as long she's buoyant, she's afloat; that is, there's no substantial difference between a vessel on the surface or one below so long as each is buoyant. Do you say a ship is sunk when you can't see the red of her keel? If she's resting on the bottom, she can't go down, so she can't sink. She floods or is crushed. In my mind the question is, what's the status of a submarine resting on the ocean floor? Or not what by why.



#25418 04/13/01 06:34 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Carpal Tunnel
Offline
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 4,189
Oh, I get it, inselpeter...this is your little frat hazing for me, right?


#25419 04/13/01 10:47 AM
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
I
Pooh-Bah
Offline
Pooh-Bah
I
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 2,379
Oh, I get it, inselpeter...this is your little frat hazing for me, right?

W'O: I tell you honestly it wasn't, even though I'm not sure which post you're refering to. First, middle, and last, as far as I'm concerned, you're very welcome here. Hazing? Never was much of a sorority boy.


Page 8 of 11 1 2 6 7 8 9 10 11

Moderated by  Jackie 

Link Copied to Clipboard
Forum Statistics
Forums16
Topics13,912
Posts229,283
Members9,179
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
Newest Members
TRIALNERRA, befuddledmind, KILL_YOUR_SUV, Heather_Turey, Standy
9,179 Registered Users
Who's Online Now
0 members (), 302 guests, and 2 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Top Posters(30 Days)
Top Posters
wwh 13,858
Faldage 13,803
Jackie 11,613
tsuwm 10,542
wofahulicodoc 10,510
LukeJavan8 9,916
AnnaStrophic 6,511
Wordwind 6,296
of troy 5,400
Disclaimer: Wordsmith.org is not responsible for views expressed on this site. Use of this forum is at your own risk and liability - you agree to hold Wordsmith.org and its associates harmless as a condition of using it.

Home | Today's Word | Yesterday's Word | Subscribe | FAQ | Archives | Search | Feedback
Wordsmith Talk | Wordsmith Chat

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5