READY, SET, SAIL!

Do You Know What Hunky Dory Means? Discover 10 Nautical Terms!

Image: Andrew Neel

Languages in general are perpetually evolving entities, and English is no exception. Ever-changing, over the years the English language has adopted words and phrases from other languages and even completely invented slang.

Many idioms, sayings, and figures of speech like "batten down the hatches" or "hunky-dory" that we still use in the 21st century, actually have a nautical origin, from the golden days of sailing. You may already be using many of them in your everyday conversations, not knowing the true meaning behind them. That's why we've put together a list of ten naval sayings and sailing phrases to let you know the history behind them. So hoist the mainsail and set course for discovery!

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There’s little chance you’ve never used this expression, by a long shot. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a long shot means "a venture involving great risk but promising a great reward if successful". It is an idiom we also use regularly to express "by a great deal".

Its origin can be traced back to early naval guns from the late 18th and early 19th centuries, whose accuracy left a lot to be desired. Apparently, these weapons were effective only at close range and weren’t very good for targets placed at great distances. So if a long shot managed to hit its target, it was considered out of the ordinary and something to celebrate.

Image: Torsten Dederichs

The literal meaning of this expression is "to fasten the entrances to the lower part of a ship using wooden boards". However, in our everyday conversations, we use it when we want to prepare ourselves or others for a difficult or dangerous situation.

The term batten was originated in the 18th century. It refers to an iron bar used to secure the covering of a hatchway on a ship when bad weather was expected. **The earliest record of the expression "**batten down the hatches" was found on Vocabulaire des Termes de Marine, a French-English dictionary of sailing terms published in 1799. The first example of a colloquial use of the phrase, similar to the one we have now, appears as recently as 1955, in an article published in the Bulletin of the General Contractors Association of New York.

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Name one TV crime series where the phrase "all hands on deck" has never been used. There probably isn’t a single one! Today we use this figure of speech in an informal way to call for everyone available to get involved in a group task or an urgent situation. However, a long time ago it had a more straightforward meaning. In times of pirates, captains would urge their crew to help whenever a storm was coming or if enemies were attacking the ship. It literally meant "All available sailors come to the deck". Over the years, as the English language evolved, it just became the expression we use when we need as much help as we can get.

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We all have at least one family member or friend who is uncontrollable and unpredictable. In our everyday vocabulary, we usually call this type of person a "loose cannon", although perhaps we’ve never stopped to think about what it really means or where it comes from.

The origin of this metaphoric expression can be sourced from the cannons that used to be mounted on the decks of warships in the early 1900s. During combat or a storm, these big and heavy weapons sometimes got dislodged, causing serious damage to the vessel and its crew. We can say that something similar happens when people with erratic behavior are around.

Image: Alex Knight

The origin of this cute little slang phrase meaning "quite satisfactory, fine" is a bit obscure. There are a few theories that explain where "hunky-dory" was first coined, but our favorite has nautical connotations. Legend has it, the expression comes from "Honcho dori", a term that means something like "main street" in Japanese, where lonely American sailors allegedly went for all sorts of diversions and services in the 1860s.

This Japanese influence was first suggested by American historian and linguist John Russell Bartlett in the 4th edition of the Dictionary of Americanisms of 1877. His theory, although picturesque and with some historical merit, can’t be 100% proven. But for the moment let’s just say: it’s all hunky-dory!

Image: Ksenia Makagonova

Yes, the word ship has given us away. As you can imagine, this commonly used expression has a clear naval origin. The term can be traced back to when ships were made out of wood and needed to be properly sealed to prevent any leaks. Captains used to supervise this operation and apparently were very rigorous about it.

In its more metaphorical sense, it alludes to a ship in which the ropes are taut, meaning it is strictly managed. In a tight ship the crew and officers work well together, that is to say, the phrase has a very similar meaning to the one we give it today. In informal and colloquial situations we now use it to refer to an institution or business that is highly organized and running efficiently.

Image: Annie Spratt

Once upon a time, when battles were fought in faraway seas, ships would heave their national flag before a battle. However, some captains were known to be swindlers. To have an advantage over their enemies, they would carry flags of other countries in order to confuse them on the high seas. This practice was especially common in the 17th century among Spanish sailors and it was referred to as bamboozle (sounds familiar?).

Nowadays, we use this expression to describe a dishonest person who eventually reveals who he or she really is. It would be great if some people came with flags, don’t you think?

Image: Tanner Mardis

Starting at a new job can feel overwhelming until you finally learn the ropes. That’s probably how rookie sailors felt like in times before steam or fossil fuel ships. A long time ago, when almost all ships had sails, new recruits had to learn how to manipulate ropes and tie knots. The nautical origin of the expression, therefore, is very clear.

It is true that ropes are rarely used in modern jobs, but the phrase has survived for centuries and we still use it today to refer to the special way things are done in a particular activity. So now that you know, you’ll never be able to teach someone to do something again without thinking of a poor young sailor handling ropes out in the cold sea.

Image: Jason Schuller

Not surprisingly, the origin of the idiom "sink or swim" is nautical. Today, we use it to mean that a specific situation will fail or succeed. The source of this expression, however, is purely literal and a bit bleak. In Medieval times, suspected witches were thrown into deep waters to prove their condition. If the victim sank, she would die, but if she managed to swim, she was considered evil and therefore executed.

The first written example of the idiom, as we use it today, can be found in Shakespeare’s play Henry IV: "If he fall in, goodnight! Or sink or swim!".

Image: Benoît Deschasaux

In the 17th century, sailors would rub empty barrels used to store food to recover any remaining scraps and not waste anything. These leftovers were presumably of inferior quality, giving the expression the negative connotation it has today. This metaphorical usage, to be forced to use one’s last and weakest resource, might have originated in the US in the 1930s, but it certainly never gets old.

We’ve reached the end of this ranking but that doesn’t mean we are scraping the barrel! There are a lot more idioms and figures of speech of nautical origin that you can explore. Can you think of any other examples? Now that you have a snapshot of what nautical expressions look like, you won't stop finding them!

FURRY FRIENDS OF THE OVAL OFFICE

Did You Know The Stories Of These Iconic And Lovable Presidential Pets?

Image: Krista Mangulsone

It is usually said that dogs are humankind’s best friends, but maybe we should broaden our horizons a little and include all pets in this phrase. After all, anyone who shares their home with a pet will attest to how much love and joy these companions bring to their lives.

We can all agree that every house with a pet is a happier home, and the White House is no exception. A generation of Presidential Pets has warmed the hearts of both the nation and our commanders-in-chief throughout our history, and we have chosen to remember ten of these loving companions with this article. Enjoy!

Image: Sebastian Coman Travel

If you visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington D.C., you will see a statue of our 32nd President sitting down in the reflexive demeanor that reassured our nation during his famous "Fireside Chats". However, if you happen to look left, you’ll come across a different kind of reassuring presence: the statue of a small Scottish Terrier, curiously looking at the millions of Americans that pay homage to his owner.

Fala was FDR’s famous dog, given to him as a Christmas gift by a cousin. He often accompanied the President on important events, was made a symbol for contributing to the war effort, and was featured in an MGM movie about a day at the White House. Fala, who outlived the President by seven years, was buried near his owner after he passed away.

Image: Camylla Battani

Who do you think about when you hear the phrase "space pet"? Maybe about Astro, the Jetsons’ dog, or Jonesy, the adorable cat on board Ripley’s spaceship on "Aliens". However, although these fictional pets are undoubtedly iconic, we want to focus on an unforgettable, real-life dog that could actually receive the title of space pet: Pushinka, the Kennedys’ dog.

Given to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as a gift by Soviet Premier Khrushchev, Pushinka was the daughter of Strelka, a dog who had journeyed to space on a Soviet mission. Pushinka was beloved by Caroline Kennedy, and she was trained to slide down Caroline’s playhouse alongside her.

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Fala is not the only presidential dog immortalized on an official monument. First Lady Grace Coolidge’s official white house portrait shows her in a dashing red dress, standing in a garden with the White House in the background. Right beside her, a white collie looks dutifully at Coolidge, while the First Lady’s hand rests comfortably on the dog’s head. That collie’s name is Rob Roy, the Coolidge family’s favorite pet.

Rob Roy was adopted by Grace Coolidge in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and became part of the family’s numerous pets, which included cats, birds, and raccoons. According to White House officials at the time, Rob Roy led Calvin Coolidge every morning onto the Oval Office, and the President himself described the dog as "a stately gentleman of great courage and fidelity".

Image: Rae Wallis

Make way for the first cold-blooded pet on this list! John Quincy Adams’ pet alligator has been the subject of speculation for decades, up to the point that many people believe the President’s scaly companion never existed. However, while some historians disagree, it seems that our 6th President did in fact housed an alligator in the White House.

According to most sources, the alligator was given to John Quincy Adams as an unusual gift by French general Marquis de Lafayette, who encountered the reptile on one of his many travels. Some testimonies say that the President placed the alligator in a bathroom in the White House, where he used it to prank (and terrify) guests.

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President Teddy Roosevelt was known for his numerous pets, which included a blue macaw called Elie Yale, a small bear called Johnatan Edwards, and a myriad of guinea pigs. And while we could have focused on any of them, Josiah the Badger is probably the most outstanding of Teddy Roosevelt’s animal companions.

While doing a railway tour through the American West, President Roosevelt made a stop in Sharon Springs, Kansas. On his last day of the stop, a 12-year-old girl approached the President and gifted him a baby badger. The delighted Teddy named him after the girl’s father, Josiah, and adopted his new furry friend into his vast menagerie of pets.

Image: Sam Carter

Who says pets can’t be useful? The flock of sheep bought by President Woodrow Wilson to mow the White House lawn certainly were. While calling them pets might be slightly misleading, the truth is that these cute wooly gardeners were fondly regarded by the White House staff and by the President himself.

During WW1, President Wilson bought a flock of 12 sheep to keep the White House lawn trimmed. This action not only saved an enormous and expensive human effort during a difficult time, but it also provided a profit: the wool sheared from these sheep was auctioned and its profit was donated to the Red Cross. This flock was so iconic that it is featured in the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum of Staunton, Virginia.

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Socks might be the most famous pet in this article: In the early 90s, the Clinton family cat was regularly featured in pictures and events, and his cartoon version guided kids through the children’s version of the White House website. Socks was beloved by the public, whether perched on the President’s shoulder or prancing through colored eggs on the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

The story of Socks adoption is as cute as the cat himself: According to the Clintons, Socks was a stray cat that jumped into the arms of Chelsea Clinton when she was leaving her piano teacher’s house after a lesson. The Clintons instantly adopted him, and gave Socks a loving family until his passing in 2009.

Image: 🇸🇮 Janko Ferlič

Over 120 years have passed since the first teddy bear was sold, but they are still a child's favorite. If you are like us, you probably hugged your favorite stuffed animal every night before bed and wished that it would suddenly become real. But, let’s face it, a bear would probably be a tough pet to handle. Having said that, if Thomas Jefferson’s pair of grizzly bears have taught us anything, is that caring for a pet bear might be dangerous, but not impossible.

Our 3rd President received the pair of bear cubs from Captain Zebulon Pike in 1807, who purchased them during his expedition of the American West. In a letter he sent to his friend Charles Willson Peale, Jefferson describes the bears as "perfectly gentle" and that they "appear quite good-humored", since they had been taken as cubs. Peale later on adopted the bears from Jefferson, but they lived a big portion of their lives in an enclosure of the President’s house.

Image: Ana Karla Parra

They say pets take after their owners, but we hope for President Jackson’s sake that this was not the case. Among many other pets, Jackson owned an African Grey parrot named Poll, which he originally purchased as a gift for his wife Rachel. Poll is remembered to this day not only for being a beautiful and loyal parrot but also for his tendency to spout profanity.

After Jackson’s wife died, the President became the main caretaker of Poll. Now, we can’t be sure that it was the President’s vocabulary that influenced such foul language onto the parrot, but we should note that Andrew Jackson’s temperamental nature earned him the nickname "Old Hickory". In any case, a popular story states that, during the President’s funeral, Polly’s outbursts were so offensive that he had to be taken away from the service.

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We’ll end this list with a group of pets that ignited a conflict between Congress and a U.S. President. In the early years of his presidency, Martin Van Buren received an uncommon gift from the Sultan of Oman: a pair of tiger cubs. The president was delighted by them, and intended to keep them with him in the White House.

However, Congress thought otherwise. Since the tigers had started their journey to America under Andrew Jackson’s previous presidency, Congress stated that Van Buren had no claim over them, as they were not directly addressed to him. The President, on the other hand, replied that they were addressed to "the US President", which he was when the tigers arrived. Eventually, Congress was able to take hold of the cubs, which were sent to live at the local zoo.