release the nautical masses from nautical terms

[backinblue]

So why call it a bathroom if there is no bath?

Because that's what they are normally called. Not every bathroom in my house has a bathtub. What should they be called?

 

[rslifkin]

On top of that, some of us do have a bathtub on the boat (not that I could ever imagine using it as such).

 

[Art]

But what's wrong with toilet or bathroom? No concern about confusion of what is meant.

Guess because the romantic feel/sound of marine lingo has captured me ever since very young... and, the simple usefulness of marine apparatus/products. I often use boat-terms and items even when no where near the water. Such as:

When in a public location I'll say to Linda - I'm gonna hit the head! When around construction projects I request a person to - Throw me that line. On my trucks I have cleats fastened to their racks and sides of beds. There's a hand held bilge pump behind every truck seat incase of need to quickly sump out a swale or ditch on a project after a rain.

Humans were on the water successfully transporting heavy objects long before successfully doing so on land. Marine vocabulary has, owns and deserves its place in history... as well as in current times/events.

 

[Stabi]

Because that's what they are normally called. Not every bathroom in my house has a bathtub. What should they be called?

My point exactly, on a boat it is a head, What should it be called?

 

[backinblue]

Because that's what they are normally called. Not every bathroom in my house has a bathtub. What should they be called?

My point exactly

So what do I call those rooms in my house?

 

[Stabi]

So what do I call those rooms in my house?

Bathrooms!
And on a boat Head even if it is not in the forepeak, sorry, pointy end storage area.

 

[koliver]

So why call it a bathroom if there is no bath?

It isn't all a one way street. In my house, only one of three have a bath, though all three get called the same. No-one mistakes their use when called "the head".

 

[sbu22]

So why call it a bathroom if there is no bath?

Why call it a "restroom" Do we really enter to "rest"?

 

[psneeld]

I have heard guys say.... "I am going to the little boys room".....

Hmmmm....I think I now know why......

 

[Moonfish]

interesting different points of view,enjoyed the banter even if you aren't starboard or wrong

LOL! That sounds like a t-shirt idea:

“I know the difference between starboard and wrong”

 

[ancora]

I've found that sailors tend to use knots and nautical miles. Powerboaters are a mixed bag. Those used to inland boating (even on the Great Lakes) tend to use mph and statute miles. Coastal, they're more likely to use knots and nautical miles. I'm used to knots and nautical miles, so I end up having to do a bunch of math when talking to any of the other powerboaters around here.

Sure sign of a greenhorn when they say, "knots per hour."

 

[backinblue]

i have heard guys say.... "i am going to the little boys room".....

Hmmmm....i think i now know why...... :d

lol

 

[Moonfish]

On top of that, some of us do have a bathtub on the boat (not that I could ever imagine using it as such).

Our aft stateroom head has a tub. It would be nautically inappropriate to call it a bathroom, so I guess we could say “bath-head”?

 

[ssobol]

Why call it a "restroom" Do we really enter to "rest"?

In some US states there was a time not that long ago that ladies' rooms were required by law to have furniture (couches, settees, etc.) for the ladies to rest. The sensibilities of the time when these laws were enacted required ladies to use the "rest room" rather than the bathroom or worse, the toilet. The biological functions of the female body were not to be mentioned in polite company.

When I was in college, there were occasional comments on how large the ladies toilets had to be when planning building layouts. It was to allow space for the legally required furniture.

 

[Hippocampus]

poop (n.1)
"stern or aftermost deck of a ship," c. 1400, from Old French poupe "stern of a ship" (14c.), from Old Provençal or Italian poppa, from Latin puppis "poop, stern," a word of uncertain origin. Also "a deck above the ordinary deck on the aftermost part of a ship." As a verb, "to break heavily over the stern of a ship" (of waves, etc.). Poop deck is attested by 1779.
poop (n.2)
"excrement," 1744, a children's euphemism, probably of imitative origin. The verb in this sense is from 1903, but the same word in the sense "to break wind softly" is attested from 1721; earlier "to make a short blast on a horn" (poupen, late 14c.). Meaning "stupid or dull person" is from 1915, but this is perhaps short for nincompoop. Pooper-scooper is attested from 1970.
poop (n.3)
"up-to-date information," 1941, in poop sheet, U.S. Army slang, of unknown origin, perhaps from poop (n.2).
poop (v.)
"become tired," 1931, of unknown origin (

In an earlier post used poop deck and going forward to the heads to poop. Above explains the different derivations. Being pooped, awashed, overcome and boarded all fairly specifically define an occurrence to a sailor . Each has a different meaning to the non seaman. Even off and on carry different implications. Bear off or stay hard on the wind. Lifts and headers. Twist, chord and draft are very specific characteristics of a sail. Yes, it’s jargon but so is the language of any field of endeavor. Jargon develops to serve a function. Get over yourself. If you want to be a seaman learn it. As Mikey said “try it…you’ll like it “. Or as the cowboys say” be a salty wrangler when you fork your horse”

 

[BandB]

Going back to rope and lines for a moment.

A rope is always a rope, even when it's a line. In use, it may be referred to as a line. Still a line is nothing but rope put to a specific use.

I agree with attempts to educate but not when done harshly or with arrogance or to denigrate them for using the "wrong word" even though completely understanding what they meant.

We now jokingly refer to rooms in houses with nautical terms so around us you'll hear things like "Where is Melissa?" followed by "She's in the Galley" and giggling as she's in the kitchen. Or someone about to go to bed announces they're retiring to their stateroom.

There are times it's critical, but those are few. Other times it might be important or semi-important. Other times it really doesn't matter.

A simple example is statute vs. nautical miles. There it is important since there's a significant difference and also knots vs mph matters. The solution since we're never going to be fully in agreement on that? Simple for me. I always use the full term. I try to never say just "miles." I'll either use nm or nautical miles or I'll state statute miles. It's far easier than arguing about where one should use which and then assuming everyone is on the same path.

As to the rooms on a boat, I couldn't care less about what one calls them. I don't care what you call the rooms in a house.

If a guest is beside me at the helm and refers to something on the left as we look forward, I know exactly what they mean and I don't have to get into port and starboard. If they look back and say, "what's that on the left side?" then I'm going to ask, "Your left or the boat's left?" and I'll educated on port and starboard.

Ok, seven year olds with us know there are regular miles that we use on the roads and there are nautical or "boat" miles. Somehow they know nautical miles are less than statute miles. Still very little real perception of distances and speeds and time. So, we're on our way home from NC by car. How far away are we? We say 500 miles. Question back is car miles or boat miles? Car miles. Now the follow up question with a 7 year old logic. "Why don't you use nautical miles so you wouldn't have as far to come?" Belle said "We'll have a lesson next time you (Aurora) and Juliet are together to explain."

 

[HTurner]

Good grief... This thread has lead me to do some research:


https://www.exitinternational.net/sarco/concept/

 

[OldDan1943]

We cant even decide if it is a 'saloon' or 'salon'

 

[kthoennes]

I work in the courts and my wife is an attorney and I'm an English major so I've been swimming in arcane vocabulary my entire professional life. Just part of the woodwork and serves a very useful purpose in my opinion -- although, as we mentioned in a recent thread, I do think we need to retire "poop." Highly specific, very useful vocabulary is one thing, but if it makes my 10-year old son snicker, maybe it's time to retire at least one term.

 

[Art]

We cant even decide if it is a 'saloon' or 'salon'

Oh - RT and I have it decided. Read my post 88... and... then see photo in his post 76; where he flips me off because I don't agree with him. Must be a great guy to chat with!!

 

[AlanT]

My sailing instructor said there is ..." NO ROPE on a boat...", there may be sheets, lines, tackle, downhauls, travelers, halyards and preventers, but no ropes.

My friends grew up on Saiboats which they call Yachts in the UK where we lived. I had to work hard to learn all the right terms when I bought my first keelboat in 1985. I've crossed the Atlantic with these two mates on my boat. They are highly experienced and to this day both have Yachts moored on the East coast of the UK.

When we are having tea (a very frequent occurrence), they refer to all lines, sheets, tackle, halyards as.....STRING.

They do it in the context of, "I need to stow all the string before we leave the boat/hoist the spinnaker/get out the mooring lines".

So to me STRING is the generic term for all the bendy stuff that attaches to things. I think it's an Essex thing
~A

PS to forestall a blitz of corrections I hasten to add that when they want a specific piece of string handled they will of course say "trim the mainsheet" or "free the preventer". String is the generic umbrella term for everything bendy that is not chain or wire.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Yep. We drive on a parkway and park on a driveway...Figure THAT one out, Poopsie.


Edit: Mr A. Re: post #110. I'm NOT arguing with you regarding saloon, I'm simply attempting to explain why you're wrong.

 

[Art]

RT - Can't help but wonder if you read or deeply understood my post 88.

11/25/1995 I took the word saloon out of my lexicon; matter of fact - out of my life... having at the age of 18, 19 and 20 designed, hand built, owned and run a really robust, very successful, dirt supported Big-Ass saloon; as well as, over the decades having frequented toooo many saloons.

Anyway: Good on ya, RT - enjoy your boat's saloon and I'll enjoy my boat's salon!

 

[O C Diver]

Ok, seven year olds with us know there are regular miles that we use on the roads and there are nautical or "boat" miles. Somehow they know nautical miles are less than statute miles.

Maybe you should correct him.
A statute mile is 5,280 feet in length.
A nautical mile is 6,076.11549… feet in length.

Ted

 

[koliver]

My friends grew up on Saiboats which they call Yachts in the UK where we lived. I had to work hard to learn all the right terms when I bought my first keelboat in 1985. I've crossed the Atlantic with these two mates on my boat. They are highly experienced and to this day both have Yachts moored on the East coast of the UK.

When we are having tea (a very frequent occurrence), they refer to all lines, sheets, tackle, halyards as.....STRING.

They do it in the context of, "I need to stow all the string before we leave the boat/hoist the spinnaker/get out the mooring lines".

So to me STRING is the generic term for all the bendy stuff that attaches to things. I think it's an Essex thing
~A


PS to forestall a blitz of corrections I hasten to add that when they want a specific piece of string handled they will of course say "trim the mainsheet" or "free the preventer". String is the generic umbrella term for everything bendy that is not chain or wire.

Alan
You are THAT GUY, who knows the answer the the age-old question, "how long is a piece of string?"
Please?

 

[psneeld]

Ted...reread and think like a seven year old....

Less NM, so shorter distance right? NM must be shorter, it all works. Or is the vice versa? Hard for me to decipher...not up to 7 YOA mentality yet......

 

[OldDan1943]

I agree, it is a rope until it is assigned a task then, it becomes a line.

 

[Fr8dog61]

I don't suppose the line/rope thing is as big an issue now that we no longer hang mutineers..lol...

You mean we Don’t hang mutineers???

 

[OldDan1943]

You mean we Don’t hang mutineers???

Now he tells us.

 

[psneeld]

For those that don't do nautical...

Mutineers are " bad people who don't listen to authority"...not to be confused with teenagers...thus the special term.