In my previous deep dive into 17 Common Water Idioms, I explored how water serves as a universal metaphor for everything from trouble to tranquility. But while general water idioms often deal with domestic life or simple nature, there is a specific subset of English that was forged entirely at sea.
For centuries, the English language was shaped by the “Age of Sail.” During this time, the sailors, merchants, and pirates navigating the world’s oceans developed a highly specialized vocabulary to manage the life-and-death stakes of a wooden ship. Because seafaring was the primary way people traveled, traded, and went to war, the gritty jargon of the deck eventually drifted inland, becoming part of our everyday speech.
Today, we use these expressions to describe our character, our momentum, and our failures, often without realizing we are speaking the language of the 18th-century sailor. You may have a fair-weather friend, or one who’s a loose cannon. Both expressions derive from seafaring. We even have another way of saying “down in the dumps” that comes from the sea: the Doldrums. You’ll be surprised at how many common idioms carry the salt and grit of the open ocean.
Sailing Idioms About Social Situations or Relationships
Many nautical terms describe how ships interact with one another or the elements, making them perfect metaphors for human relationships. Whether it’s two people meeting briefly or a friend who only sticks around when the “seas” are calm, these idioms translate the unpredictability of life at sea into our social lives.
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Fair-Weather Friend
A fair-weather friend is a person who is only a friend when things are going well and disappears or becomes unreliable during difficult times.
Example: “I thought he was a great friend but he’s really just a fair-weather friend. He didn’t even call or visit when I was in the hospital.”
The idiom fair-weather friend is a direct maritime metaphor that compares human loyalty to the reliability of a sailor. In nautical terms, a “fair-weather sailor” is a recreational boater who only takes to the water when the sun is out and the seas are glass. While they may look the part in a calm harbor, they lack the skill, grit, and experience to handle a sudden gale or a heavy swell.
Historically, the term highlights a flaw in character rather than just a lack of ability. Just as a fair-weather sailor might blame a sudden storm for an accident rather than admitting to their own poor seamanship, a fair-weather friend blames “difficult circumstances” for their absence. In reality, the “storm” didn’t change their character—it simply revealed it. A true friend, much like an able-bodied seaman, is defined by their presence when the “weather” turns foul, not just when the sailing is easy.
In the Same Boat
To be in the same boat means to be in the same unpleasant or difficult situation as others.
Example: “Now that his father’s company is gone, Ted is in the same boat with the rest of us. He’ll have to work for a living.”
This idiom alludes to being in a small boat with other people, thereby facing the same inherent dangers and challenges.
On the Rocks
Especially used to refer to relationships or organizations, on the rocks means not going well and likely to end soon; ruined or spoiled.
Example: “They’ve only been together for six months and already their marriage is on the rocks.”
When used in reference to alcoholic drinks, especially whiskey and other liquors, on the rocks means served over ice. The ‘rocks’ are the ice cubes.
In the Age of Sail, on the rocks was a sailor’s worst nightmare. It referred to a ship that had run aground on a rocky shore, reef, or coastline. Once a vessel was “on the rocks,” it was no longer supported by the water; it was immobile, at the mercy of the pounding surf, and in imminent danger of breaking apart.
Figuratively, we use the expression today to describe a relationship or business venture that is failing or near collapse. The metaphor holds perfectly: just as a ship on the rocks has lost its momentum and is facing total destruction, a relationship “on the rocks” has hit a hard obstacle and is unlikely to survive without a miracle.
Interestingly, the common use of the phrase in bartending, referring to a drink served over ice cubes, didn’t appear until the 1940s. While it uses the same words, the “rocks” in your whiskey glass are a far cry from the jagged reefs that gave birth to the original idiom of disaster.
Ships That Pass In The Night
Two ships that pass in the night can have one of two meanings. More generally, it refers to individuals who know each other, are related, or intimate, but are not usually in the same place at the same time. A more dramatic and literary usage refers to two people who meet and have an intense romance for a short time, only to part and never see one another again. Sometimes, as well, the idiom simply refers to any individuals who meet and associate for a short time and then part.
Example: “Jane thought about Ron for years, but to him, they were just ships that passed in the night.”
The allusion here—to two ships passing silently by one another in the dark—is transparent. The idiom can be traced to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem collection, Tales of a Wayside Inn, published in 1863.
At Loggerheads
To be ‘at loggerheads‘ means to be engaged in a quarrelsome argument, strongly disagreeing. This somewhat formal idiom tends to carry the connotation of being unable to reach an agreement.
Example: “Peace talks are ongoing, but the delegates are at loggerheads on the subject of reparations.”
The term loggerhead dates back to the late 16th century, originally used to describe a “blockhead” or a person of little intelligence. Even William Shakespeare famously employed the insult in The Taming of the Shrew, where Petruchio exclaims, “You logger-headed and unpolish’d grooms!” The word likely stemmed from “logger,” referring to a heavy block of wood tethered to a horse to prevent it from wandering.
However, the idiom’s transition into a metaphor for a fierce disagreement is widely believed to have nautical roots from the 17th century. On sailing ships, a loggerhead referred to two very different, but equally heavy, objects. On whaling vessels, it was a sturdy wooden bit on the stern used to manage the harpoon line. More commonly, it was a long iron rod with a bulbous head. Sailors would heat this iron “loggerhead” in a fire and dip it into buckets of pitch to melt it for caulking the ship’s seams.
Because these heavy, red-hot iron rods were kept ready in the galley or on deck, they became formidable improvised weapons during shipboard brawls. To be at loggerheads originally suggested two sailors brandishing these dangerous tools at one another—a situation where neither side could move without significant risk, resulting in the quarrelsome stalemate the idiom describes today.
Taken Aback, to be
When someone is taken aback, they are very shocked, surprised, or, to use another expression, “taken off guard.”
Example: Mr. Fisher was taken aback by the rude behavior of the prospective employee.
In the Age of Sail, taken aback described a precise and often terrifying technical crisis. It occurred when a sudden shift in wind direction, or a steering error, caused the wind to blow against the forward side of the sails, pinning them flat against the masts and yards.
In an instant, the ship’s forward momentum would vanish, replaced by a violent, backward pressure. In heavy winds, being “taken aback” could snap the wooden yard-arms or even capsize the vessel. Because it was a sudden, paralyzing reversal of everything the crew expected, it became the perfect metaphor for the psychological shock we feel today when something unexpected “stops us in our tracks.”
Go Overboard
To go overboard has a literal meaning: to fall off a ship or large boat into the water. However, figuratively, to go overboard is to do or say too much because you are overly enthusiastic; to act excessively; to do too much in a particular situation; to be too excited or eager about something; to go too far.
Example: “You can buy a new sofa if you really want to, but don’t go overboard. We can’t afford something fancy.”
Literally, go overboard has been used since the mid-19th century to describe the life-threatening event of a person, piece of equipment, or cargo falling off a ship into the open sea. In the days of heavy canvas sails and massive wooden hulls, a ship could not simply “stop on a dime.” A man overboard necessitated a complex, high-stakes rescue maneuver that put the entire crew at risk and disrupted the ship’s progress.
The figurative use emerged in the early 20th century, around 1930. The idiom alludes to the extreme and irreversible nature of the act. Just as falling off a ship is a sudden move from the safety of the deck into a dangerous, uncontrolled environment, “going overboard” figuratively means losing your sense of proportion or restraint. It suggests that someone has pushed an idea, emotion, or action so far that they have “fallen off the edge” of sensible behavior.
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Nautical Idioms Referring to Maintenance and Labor
A ship in the Age of Sail required constant, rigorous upkeep to remain seaworthy. From the specialized vocabulary of the rigging to the hierarchical structure of the crew, these idioms originally described the hard work and high standards required to keep a vessel “shipshape.”
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Chief Cook and Bottle Washer
The chief cook and bottle washer is the person who is in charge of everything, but also has to perform all the menial or unimportant tasks; someone who does all the work in an organization or household.
Example: “My father always tells new customers he isthe chief cook and bottle washer. He owns a bookstore.
The idiom chief cook and bottle washer emerged in the early 19th century and was firmly established as an expression by the 1830s. While it sounds like it might belong in a restaurant, its roots are deeply nautical, referring to the “jack-of-all-trades” crew members on smaller merchant vessels or frontier steamboats.
The phrase likely began as a literal list of roles: “chief, cook, and bottle washer.” This punctuation suggests a person who held a position of authority (the “Chief”) but, due to a small crew, was forced to handle every menial task—from preparing meals to the lowly job of scrubbing bottles. An early 1809 example from A.B. Lindsley’s play Love and Friendship captures this perfectly, with a character boasting: “Why sometimes I acts cook, steward, cabin boy, sailor, mate, and bottle washer.”
By the time of the American Civil War, the phrase had moved inland to describe anyone who ran a one-person operation. It remains the quintessential descriptor for someone who is important enough to be the boss, but humble (or busy) enough to handle the dirty work that no one else is around to do.
Spick and Span
To be spick and span means to be very neat, clean, and organized; to be perfectly maintained and looking as if new.
Example: “My aunt, who always kept her house spick and span, used to annoy my mother by cleaning our house every time she visited.”
While we use spick and span today to describe something exceptionally clean, it originally meant “brand new.” The expression evolved from the Middle English span-newe (used as early as the 1300s), which referred to something as fresh as a newly cut “span” or wood chip. By the 1500s, “spick” (meaning a spike or nail) was added to the phrase.
The idiom found its definitive home in the shipyards. A sailing vessel was described as spick and span new when every iron nail (spick) and every wooden chip or shaving (span) was fresh from the builder. Essentially, the ship was so new that the wood was still producing shavings and the nails hadn’t yet seen a drop of saltwater. By the mid-1800s, the “new” was dropped from the phrase, and the meaning shifted from “brand new” to the modern definition of “spotless and perfectly maintained.”
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Shipshape (and Bristol Fashion)
When something is shipshape or in shipshape condition, it is in a highly organized and neat condition; perfectly clean and tidy.
Example: “When I get back, I expect everything to be shipshape around here.”
The term shipshape is a literal nod to the rigorous maintenance required on a sailing vessel. In the Age of Sail, a ship was a self-contained world; if equipment wasn’t stored exactly where it belonged, or if the rigging was loose, it wasn’t just messy—it was a safety hazard. A vessel in “shipshape” condition was one where every rope, sail, and tool was perfectly stowed and ready for immediate action.
The phrase is often extended to shipshape and Bristol fashion. This addition dates back to the 18th and 19th centuries, when the Port of Bristol in England was famous for its extreme tidal shifts. Because the water level would drop so drastically at low tide, ships moored there would often end up resting on the muddy bottom. If a ship wasn’t built sturdily and its cargo wasn’t lashed down with “Bristol” precision, the vessel would tip and be damaged as the water receded. Consequently, “Bristol Fashion” became a worldwide gold standard for maritime organization and structural integrity.
Squared Away
When a person has everything squared away, they are fully prepared, organized, fixed, finalized, or settled.
This idiom is sometimes used in regard to a person. To get someone “squared away” often means to get them settled, oriented, organized, prepared, etc.
Examples:
“Let’s get you squared away, and then we can have dinner.”
“As soon as I get this bookkeeping squared away, we can both go have a few drinks.”
In the Age of Sail, a ship was “squared away” when its yards (the horizontal spars holding the sails) were braced at right angles to the mast and the keel. This was the optimal position for sailing with a following wind (wind blowing from directly behind). It signaled that the ship was under perfect control, the chores of the watch were completed, and the vessel was making steady progress toward its destination. Today, we use it to describe a person who is fully prepared, organized, and has everything under control.
To Know the Ropes
To know the ropes means to be experienced or professional at a particular task; to understand completely how something works.
Example: “I hated leaving my old company. I felt like I really knew the ropes. Now, I have to learn a completely new job.”
This idiom is a literal requirement for any able-bodied seaman. A typical 19th-century sailing ship had miles of cordage, the “rigging”, consisting of hundreds of different ropes, each with a specific name and function (such as halyards, braces, and sheets). A novice sailor or “landlubber” would see a confusing web of lines, but an experienced sailor had to know the ropes well enough to identify them by touch in total darkness or during a storm. If you didn’t know the ropes, you couldn’t maneuver the ship.
Show Someone the Ropes
To show someone the ropes means to teach them the basic fundamentals of a job or task; to orient someone to a new situation.
Example: “This is Edward. He’ll be showing you the ropes today.”
Naturally following the previous idiom, showing someone the ropes was the primary job of an experienced sailor when a new recruit or “greenhand” came aboard. Because a mistake with the wrong rope could result in a lost sail or a broken mast, the veteran would walk the newcomer around the deck, teaching them the name, location, and purpose of every line in the rigging. It remains the standard term for orienting someone to a new job or complex system.
Flotsam and Jetsam
Flotsam and Jetsam means something similar to odds and ends, especially in regard to forgotten or unwanted objects. The idiom may also refer generally to garbage or anything unwanted, including people, objects, concepts, ideas, etc.
Example: “His house was a disorganized mess of flotsam and jetsam. It was a wonder he could find anything when he needed it.”
While they are almost always used together today as a single idiom for “odds and ends,” flotsam and jetsam were originally two distinct legal categories of maritime property. Both terms emerged in the 17th century to determine who owned cargo found at sea.
- Flotsam refers to the wreckage of a ship or its cargo that remains afloat after a vessel has sunk. Because the owner did not intentionally discard it, flotsam historically remained the property of the original owner.
- Jetsam comes from the word “jettison.” It refers to cargo or equipment deliberately thrown overboard to lighten a ship in distress. Because it was intentionally cast off, jetsam was often considered fair game for anyone who found it.
By the early 1800s, the terms began to be used as a pair to describe any debris found in the ocean. Today, they are “fossil words”, terms that have survived in modern English only within this specific idiom. While the figurative use began in the mid-1800s to describe unwanted objects, it wasn’t until the late 20th century that the phrase was applied to people (often marginalized or displaced populations) who have been “cast adrift” by society.
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Sailing Idioms About Energy and Momentum
In the days of wind-powered travel, momentum was the difference between progress and stagnation. These phrases capture the feeling of being stalled by a lack of “wind” or the sudden burst of energy that allows a person to push through a difficult task to the finish.
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To the Bitter End
To the bitter end means to the very end, however unpleasant or ruinous; all the way to death or ruin.
Example: “The movie was long and boring, but we stayed until the bitter end so as not to disturb the other people.”
The origin of to the bitter end is most often traced to a physical part of a sailing ship. A bitt is a heavy wooden or iron post mounted on the deck used for securing mooring lines or anchor chains. The very last turn of the cable around the bitt—the part that remained onboard when the rest was fully paid out—was known as the bitter end. If a sailor had let the anchor chain out “to the bitter end,” they had reached the absolute limit of their resources; there was nothing left to give.
While the maritime origin is the most widely accepted by historians, the idiom’s figurative weight likely draws from biblical imagery. In Proverbs 5:4, the consequences of poor choices are described as being “bitter as wormwood” and “sharp as a two-edged sword.” Whether the term was born on the deck of a ship or in the pages of scripture, it perfectly describes the act of persevering through a difficult situation until there is literally nothing left but the finish.
Hard Up
To be hard up means to be short of money or in a difficult situation.
Example: “I’ve been too hard up to even think about anything but work and making my next rent payment.”
The idiom hard up was originally a life-saving command given to a ship’s helmsman. On a sailing vessel, the tiller is the lever used to turn the rudder. To put the tiller “hard up” meant to push it as far as it would go toward the windward side of the ship (the side the wind is blowing from).
This maneuver was used in emergencies to turn the ship’s head quickly away from the wind to avoid a collision or to steer clear of a dangerous “lee shore” (land that the wind is blowing toward). If a ship was hard up, it was at the absolute limit of its steering capacity in a desperate attempt to avoid disaster. By the mid-1800s, the phrase moved inland to describe people in a similarly desperate “limit,” specifically those who are short on money or resources and struggling to stay afloat.
In the Doldrums
To be in the doldrums means to be in a state of stagnation, depression, or lack of progress.
Example: “The film industry has been in the doldrums for the last few years, but things are beginning to look up.”
The Doldrums is a literal maritime region near the equator, known to sailors as the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). In this area, the prevailing winds from the north and south meet and cancel each other out, often resulting in long periods of eerie, stagnant calm.
In the Age of Sail, reaching the Doldrums was a source of extreme anxiety. A ship could sit motionless for weeks on a “glassy” sea, with no breeze to fill the sails. As the ship sat stuck, fresh water would spoil, food supplies would dwindle, and the crew would succumb to a state of listless depression and boredom. By the early 1800s, the maritime term was adopted into common English to describe a person in low spirits or any project, economy, or relationship that has come to a grinding, stagnant halt.
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Sailing Idioms About Success Or Failure
In the unpredictable world of maritime travel, the line between a triumphant return and a disastrous wreck was often razor-thin. These idioms draw from the high-stakes reality of seafaring, where “colors” were flown to signal victory and “rocks” represented the ultimate failure, to describe the various outcomes of our modern-day ventures and ambitions.
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With Flying Colors
With flying colors means with easy and outstanding success. To succeed at something extremely well.
Example: “I was worried about my medical exam, but I passed with flying colors.”
The idiom with flying colors dates back to the 17th-century naval tradition where “colors” referred to a ship’s national flag or ensign. When a fleet returned from a successful engagement or a long voyage, they would sail back into port with all their flags hoisted high from the mastheads. This was a public and unmistakable signal of victory and triumph.
Conversely, a defeated ship would be forced to “strike its colors”—lowering its flags as a sign of surrender. Because the sight of a ship entering a harbor with its flags snapping in the wind was the ultimate symbol of a mission accomplished with easy and outstanding success, the phrase transitioned into everyday English by the 1700s. Today, we use it to describe passing a test or completing a difficult task with a flourish.
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Nautical Idioms Referring to Character or Morals
Life on the high seas was a test of character, and the terminology reflected that. These idioms use the behavior of a ship or its equipment—like a cannon breaking loose or a vessel revealing its true flags—to describe a person’s underlying integrity, temperament, or state of mind.
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Show Your True Colors, to
To show your (or one’s) true colors means to reveal your true character, feelings, opinions, etc.
Example: “Mike showed his true colors today. He refused to give me time off to visit my grandmother in the hospital.”
The idiom show your true colors is rooted in the high-stakes deception of 17th-century naval warfare. In this era, “colors” referred to a ship’s national flag. Pirates and naval vessels often employed a ruse known as “sailing under false colors,” where they would fly the flag of a friendly or neutral nation to lure an unsuspecting ship into range.
The moment of truth, showing one’s true colors, occurred when the attacking ship was forced to lower the deceptive flag and hoist its actual national colors before firing its first broadside. By the mid-1800s, authors like Charles Dickens were using the phrase to describe human character, such as in The Old Curiosity Shop (1841), where a character is described as not venturing “to come out in his true colours.”
A related, though now rare, nautical expression is to nail one’s colors to the mast. Since flags could be easily lowered to signal surrender, a captain who literally nailed his flag to the mast was signaling an unyielding, stubborn commitment to fight to the end. Today, whether we are “showing true colors” or “sailing under false” ones, we are still using the language of the deck to describe the transparency of a person’s soul.
Loose Cannon
A loose cannon is a person who is unpredictable and likely to cause damage or trouble.
A literal loose cannon was one of the most feared hazards aboard a wooden warship. These massive iron guns could weigh up to several tons and were secured to the deck by a complex system of heavy ropes called “breeching.” If a rope snapped due to the ship’s violent motion during a storm or the recoil of battle, the cannon would become a stray, rolling projectile.
Because of the ship’s pitch and roll, the cannon would hurtle across the deck with enough force to crush sailors, smash through the ship’s wooden hull, or even cause the vessel to capsize. A “loose cannon” was a source of massive, unpredictable danger that threatened the safety of everyone on board. Today, the idiom is the perfect descriptor for an unpredictable person whose lack of self-control or “moorings” makes them a danger to their own team or organization.
Three Sheets to the Wind
To be three sheets to the wind means to be very drunk and unsteady.
Example: “What happened to you last night? By the time I got to the party, you were already three sheets to the wind, then you disappeared.”
To understand this idiom, you have to know that in nautical terms, sheets are not the sails—they are the ropes used to control the tension and angle of the lower corners of the sails. If a sheet is let go and allowed to “fly” in the wind, the sail it controls will flap uselessly and the ship will lose its stability and direction.
A ship with one sheet loose would stagger; with two, it would rock violently. By the time a vessel had three sheets to the wind, it would be completely out of control, reeling and wallowing across the waves in a staggering, zig-zag motion. By the early 19th century, sailors—and eventually the general public—began using the image of this reeling ship to describe a person who had become staggeringly drunk.
A Square Meal
A square meal is a substantial, satisfying, and balanced meal.
Example: “I haven’t had a square meal in days. I’ve been living on snack foods and soda.”
The idiom “a square meal” is often attributed to the square wooden plates used by sailors; see the full story of this idiom’s origin on CulinaryLore.
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Keep Exploring: More Idiom Origins and Meanings
If you’ve enjoyed this deep dive into the high seas, don’t stop here! I’m constantly researching the stories behind the phrases we use every day. If you’re thirsty for more, check out my deep dive into water idioms. Or, if you’re feeling hungry, tuck into a mega-list of food idioms. And if you think these lists are a “dumb idea,” I’ve even got a list of colorful ways to say exactly that!
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