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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread Page 1 of 2 1 2 #188638 - 01/09/10 03:51 PM origin of the phrase " sea (sp?) change" I hear it used in political discussions.   Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 1 Letia stranger Letia   stranger Joined: Jan 2010 Posts: 1 I would like to know the origin of the phrase "sea change". Thanks. #188640 - 01/09/10 04:21 PM Re: sea change [Re: Letia]   Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 zmjezhd Carpal Tunnel zmjezhd   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 3,290 R'lyeh It comes from a song in Shakespeare's The Tempest (link). Quote: Full fathom five thy father lies, Of his bones are coral made, Those are pearls that were his eyes, Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change, into something rich and strange, Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell, Ding-dong. Hark! now I hear them, ding-dong, bell. [Fixed misspelling.] Ceci n'est pas un seing. #188642 - 01/09/10 06:07 PM Re: sea change [Re: zmjezhd]   Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Originally Posted By: zmjezhd It comes from a song in Shakespeare's The Tempast That's fine for Tempast, but what about Tempresent? #188643 - 01/09/10 07:15 PM Re: sea change [Re: Faldage]   Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague Zmjezhd's sea-change for tempest. So from the original meaning ' a change caused by the sea' it is more generally used as 'transformation'? link #188645 - 01/09/10 10:29 PM Re: sea change [Re: BranShea]   Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Faldage Carpal Tunnel Faldage   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Dec 2000 Posts: 13,803 Generally it seems to me it means a major change. Transformation might be a good definition. #188646 - 01/10/10 12:30 AM Re: sea change [Re: Faldage]   Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Buffalo Shrdlu Carpal Tunnel Buffalo Shrdlu   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2002 Posts: 7,210 Vermont a paradigm shift. formerly known as etaoin... #188650 - 01/10/10 02:31 AM Re: sea change [Re: Buffalo Shrdlu]   Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 Zed Pooh-Bah Zed   Pooh-Bah Joined: Aug 2002 Posts: 2,154 British Columbia, Canada I had assumed it was a sailor's term for the complete change in sailing conditions that you sometimes get very quickly on the ocean. #188653 - 01/10/10 03:28 AM Re: origin of the phrase " sea (sp?) change" I hear it used in political discussions. [Re: Letia]   Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Jackie Jackie   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 11,613 Louisville, Kentucky Welcome, Letia. zmjezhd is right; however, here is a more reliable source than that dumb old Wikipedia. #188654 - 01/10/10 04:01 AM Re: origin of the phrase " sea (sp?) change" I hear it used in political discussions. [Re: Jackie]   Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 618 doc_comfort addict doc_comfort   addict Joined: Jan 2001 Posts: 618 Australia I must admit that I have never heard the phrase used as a generic "transformation"; only ever to describe the move from the rat-race of the city to relaxed sea-side living (most commonly applied to middle-aged couples who move once the nest is empty). The general meaning may well have been (mis-)appropriated by the real-estate industry for all I know. However, I suspect many people would think the general meaning of transformation derived from the concept of a drastic change of lifestyle. cf "tree-change" #188656 - 01/10/10 10:32 AM Re: sea change [Re: Zed]   Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 BranShea Carpal Tunnel BranShea   Carpal Tunnel Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 5,295 Netherlands, the Hague The Shakespeare line is clear enough, but maybe he uses it as a metaphor from a real sailors' term. Page 1 of 2 1 2 Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------   Information and announcements   Q&A about words   Wordplay and fun   Words and languages in schools   Miscellany   Weekly Themes   Looking for (writers, speakers, ...) (Old) Weekly themes. 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