To keep out of the sun, port out, starboard home was the rule. The term was used from the 1890s onward to mean a dandy. What is the abbreviation for port outbound, starboard home. Posh abbreviation stands for port out starboard home. When on deck and facing the front of the ship, the port side is always to the left, just as after. A port side the left hand side of the ship when you are on the ship and looking towards the bow. In port out, starboard home and other language myths, quinion reveals the true origins of some wellknown words and phrases, as well as the notsoobvious associations between one common word and another for example, barbecue and buccaneer. Every year we get dozens of letters informing us that posh comes from the first letters of the phrase port out, starboard home, which designated the most desirable accommodations on a steamship voyage from. The origin of port and starboard today i found out. It gives an insight into a major irish transport hub and explores the social commitment of the dublin port company and its service users by focusing on the interaction of these corporate bodies. Port out, starboard home might be rather a strange inclusion on a website about phrases, for, as we shall see, it isnt much of a phrase at all.
Port out, starboard home is a miniencyclopedia about various english words and phrases the fancy term for this is called etymology. It is grist to the mill of those who study the language, but also a rich pasture for the idle browser. When looking forward, toward the bow of a ship, port and starboard refer to the left and right sides, respectively. Besides learning about port and starboard in the video below, you can also learn the origin and meaning of things like avast, arrrr, scuttlebutt, and many more in our video, the origin and meaning of 9 pirate words and expressions. October 22, 2015 november 11, 2019 bolsover cruise club november 11, 2019 theres was once a rumour that derived from the 1930s that sailing between the uk and india, certain passengers would request port out, starboard home, or posh a way to protect themselves from the high heats of the sun. And other language myths, published by penguin books in july 2004. The lack of any citation of port out, starboard home in any of the numerous letters and literary works that remain from the british raj is a more convincing argument against that origin.
Posh abbreviation stands for port outbound, starboard home. Does anybody have a preference for port vs starboard with verandah rooms on caribbean. Why port and starboard indicate the left and right side of a ship. For alaska, starboard heading north, port heading south. We do not know the precise origin of the adjective posh, meaning elegant, fashionable, but nearly everyone else seems to. Pdf language myths download full pdf book download.
Port out, starboard home and other language myths, london. But the name starboard and larboard sound much alike and could cause confusion when shouting orders over the wind, weather, and waves. In old england, the starboard was the steering paddle or rudder, and ships were always steered from the right side on the back of the vessel. We have 4 other meanings of posh in our acronym attic. Where does the words posh, port and starboard come from. Port n starboard banquet reception venues new london, ct. Posh port out, starboard home apocryphal acronymfinder. It gives an insight into a major irish transport hub and explores the social commitment of the dublin port company and its service users by focusing on the interaction of these. Figure out what directions you will be sailing in, and then figure out whether you like sunrises or sunsets. Jackies on the cruise for her health and amandas a washed up actress, taking any job going. Thus, the word became part of the language to mean better. We have identified the following types of language in the text. You step on a ship and everything suddenly becomes nautical, despite the fact that most on the boat probably have to resort to mnemonics to remember which side of the ship is port and which side is starboard usually. Boat positions simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Quinion tracks the trail wherever it may lead, and we are happy to follow along. Jul 24, 2006 posh is an old british term for travelling in luxury aboard ship. Currently my department is running watch sections 7 days, 8 hour shifts, 3 sections with all personnel working everyday because of. Starboard home and david wiltons word myths in the next issue. The book is a satire of the times and most of the characters names are. Another version has it that po and sh were scrawled on the steamer trunks used on the. The welltodo people who wanted to be in the shaded side of the boat, both going and coming, would have to change sides on. Since port and starboard never change, they are clear references that do not depend on. If you liked this video, be sure and subscribe to our youtube channel here. Sep 10, 2005 port out, starboard home by michael quinion penguin.
Heres a useful mnemonic phrase for placing marine navigation lights red and green correctly on each side of a vessel. To ask other readers questions about port out, starboard home, please sign up. Port and starboard port and starboard are shipboard terms for left and right, respectively. There are some different speculations on this, but i believe the currentlyaccepted etymology is that starboard came from a reference to the location that the steering board traditionally was, which was on the righthand side of the boat when fa.
Oct 22, 2015 should i book a port or starboard cabin. Read the complete script on the lazy bee scripts web site. A popular story derives the word as an acronym from port out, starboard home, referring to nineteenth century firstclass cabins on ocean liners, which were shaded from the sun on outbound voyages east e. Today i found out how port and starboard became the commonly used terms for left port and right starboard on a ship weve all been there. The barethroated bellbirds were calling everywhere but staying on the other side of the many ravines around us, but we got good scope views. Since port and starboard never change, they are clear references that do not depend on which way the observer is facing. Port n starboard banquet is a reception venue in new london, ct. Port is the lefthand side of or direction from a vessel, facing forward. This delightful book debunks over 200 common etymythologies as. Is one side better than the other for your cruise room. Its arranged in alphabetical order, and there are crossreferences for related words. There are many things wrong with the port out, starboard home yarn. The welltodo people who wanted to be in the shaded side of the boat, both going and coming, would have to change sides on the way home.
In this entertaining and fascinating new book on the origins of words and. His book title port out, starboard home is taken from one of the most famous. The tale about port out, starboard home also didnt surface until 1935, two decades after the earliest appearance of posh in the luxurious or swank sense was noted in 1914. Apr 15, 2010 the tale about port out, starboard home also didnt surface until 1935, two decades after the earliest appearance of posh in the luxurious or swank sense was noted in 1914. Posh is an old british term for travelling in luxury aboard ship. The most enjoyable way to learn about an unfamiliar culture is through its storiesespecially when theyre told in two languages. Read on to find out whether you should choose port versus starboard for your next sailing. Instruction on working port and starboard watches7 days a week. His book title port out, starboard home is taken from one of the most famous the assumption that the word posh is an acronym from reservations made with the old steamship companies servicing the british empire. Wikipedia, lexilogos, oxford, cambridge, chambers harrap, wordreference, collins lexibase dictionaries, merriam webster. Port out, starboard home by michael quinion goodreads. Port out starboard home definition english dictionary. The actual subtitle of the book is and other language myths.
The home cooking here is the first where the meal does not have two starches, but instead a choice of veggie andor salad. I gather from my boaty7 friends that the expression posh comes from those going on a cruise on the suez canal. Korean stories for language learners introduces 42 traditional korean folktales with bilingual korean and english versions, presented on facing pages, together with detailed notes and exercises aimed at beginning learners of the language. What is the origin of the terms, port and starboard. Port out starboard home definition english dictionary for. This explanation connects posh with english university slang. Since port and starboard never change, they are unambiguous references that are independent of a mariners orientation, and, thus, mariners use these nautical terms instead of left and right to avoid confusion. Port and starboard are nautical terms for left and right, respectively. A really interesting book especially if youre intersted in language.
H is a new 4 part documentary series which looks at the lives of the people who work in, and live around dublin port. We even got a pineapple parfait for dessert at dinner first dessert offered on the trip. Stay on the left side of the ship on the way out and return on the right side of the vessel on the way home this helped the wealthy passengers keep their pasty white complexion year round. Use the links at the bottom of the page to buy the paperback editions.
Port and starboard unambiguously refer to the left and right side of the vessel, not the observer. By purchasing from port out starboard home posh original art limited you consent to us using your personal information in the ways described below. Doesnt the word posh come from port out, starboard home. Port and starboard are nautical terms of orientation that deal unambiguously with the structure of vessels. Port and starboard refer to fixed locations on the ship itself, which are useful since left and right differ depending on where a sailor is looking. Port out starboard home is a book by michael quinion about some of the. One morning the captain told us to look out on the starboard side. There are other theories to account for posh, one of which has been accepted by a few dictionaries. B starboard side the right hand side of the ship when you are on the ship and looking towards the. Yesterday was a travel day except for an hour spent at the maritime museum near sandy cove. Once again we found ourselves in a deconsecrated church, but at least this one had been built for sailors a hundred years ago.
Excuse me, port vs starboard well, its down to the nitty gritty. How is port out, starboard home apocryphal abbreviated. Port out, starboard home by michael quinion books the. Review of port out, starboard home by michael quinion. You can complete the definition of port out starboard home given by the english cobuild dictionary with other english dictionaries. That is, the port side of the vessel always refers to the same portion of the vessels structure, and does not depend on which way the observer is facing.
Can anyone fill me in on an instruction or navadmin in regards to working 7 days a week. The word crap has nothing to do with thomas crapper. Feb 22, 20 port out, starboard home, posh with a capital posh, posh. I also heard this phrase in other movies i believe this phrase was also used in one of the star trek movies. Port out, starboard home how is port out, starboard home. In sailing, the starboard side of a ship is the right side when you are on it and facing. Its called port out starboard home everywhere but in the us, where its title is ballyhoo, buckaroo, and spuds. Their structures are largely bilaterally symmetrical, meaning they have mirrorimage left and right halves if divided sagittally one asymmetric feature is that on ships where access is at the side, this access is usually only provided on the port side. Sep 11, 2014 excuse me, port vs starboard well, its down to the nitty gritty. So the british admiralty demanded that the word port be used in place of larboard. Without your consent to use your information in the ways set out in this policy, we will not be able to fulfill your order. Since then, the admirable philologist michael quinion has published a book called port out, starboard home, a title emblematic of popular.
Starboard definition and meaning collins english dictionary. In this entertaining and fascinating new book on the origins of words and expressions, michael quinion retells the mythic tales that have become popular currency the word posh deriving from port out, starboard home and also tries to find and explain the true stories behind the origins of phrases. Quinion, though, would appear to relish bogus derivations rather than be irritated. Port out, starboard home and david wiltons word myths in the next issue. Port out, starboard home how is port out, starboard home abbreviated. Unfortunately all the other beach hotels were in shadow and made worthless photos. Instruction on working port and starboard watches7 days a. Its published in paperback by penguin in the uk and by harpercollins in the usa. The story seems plausible, and its attractive but its not true. Miriam hopes that taking her son stewart on a cruise will help him find miss right, when actually, hes looking for a mr. Anyone with a genuine interest in the english language will want to own a copy of this book.
Posh stands for port out, starboard home apocryphal. Every year we get dozens of letters informing us that posh comes from the first letters of the phrase port out, starboard home, which designated the most. There is really no advantage one side to the other just for the sake of port or starboard. I placed this under the category movies and film bc i heard this phrase while watching pirates of the caribbean, dead mans chest yesterday, and i heard one of the captains scream out port to starboard. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Search port out starboard home and thousands of other words in english cobuild dictionary from reverso. Why do ships use port and starboard instead of left and. Port out, starboard home false word histories explained mantex. Port out, starboard home false word histories explained. Port out, starboard home, posh with a capital posh, posh. By providing students aged 15 to 17 with specialised knowledge and skills in their last three years of secondary schooling, the lawhill maritime centre at simons town school has, for the past 20 years, made it possible for hundreds of young south africans to embark on successful careers in the maritime and other industries. What is the abbreviation for port out starboard home.
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