-PJ
Posted on 05/05/2016 5:03:45 AM PDT by harpygoddess
"Hang up the phone." comes from one specific kind of land-line phone that had a kind of hook you'd hang the handset from when you were done. Doing so would pull down the hook that was connected to a switch inside the phone that would disconnect the line.
And lots of nautical stuff:
Groggy - In 1740, British Admiral Vernon (whose nickname was "Old Grogram" for the cloak of grogram which he wore) ordered that the sailors' daily ration of rum be diluted with water. The men called the mixture "grog". A sailor who drank too much grog was "groggy".
Leeway - The weather side of a ship is the side from which the wind is blowing. The Lee side is the side of the ship sheltered from the wind. A lee shore is a shore that is downwind of a ship. If a ship does not have enough "leeway" it is in danger of being driven onto the shore.
Pipe Down - Means stop talking and be quiet. The Pipe Down was the last signal from the Bosun's pipe each day which meant "lights out" and "silence".
Slush Fund - A slushy slurry of fat was obtained by boiling or scraping the empty salted meat storage barrels. This stuff called "slush" was often sold ashore by the ship's cook for the benefit of himself or the crew. The money so derived became known as a slush fund.
(Excerpt) Read more at vaviper.blogspot.com ...
-PJ
I once foolishly said to a young barista at Starbucks, “It doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.”
Turns out not only had she never heard that phrase but she only knew one meaning of the word “scheme” and thought she was being insulted.
Both the p and the q are easily confused with other letters. Not with each other.
Nowhere in NJ. Or Oregon.
We still have a knife sharpener that comes by on the Upper West Side. He rings his little bell. Walking.
Brevity is the soul of wit
Frailty, thy name is woman
His beard was as white as snow
Hoist by your own petard
In my mind’s eye
Make your hair stand on end
More honoured in the breach than in the observance
Neither a borrower nor a lender be
Primrose path
Shuffle off this mortal coil
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
There’s method in my madness
To be or not to be, that is the question
To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub
What a piece of work is man
When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions
Woe is me
I was descibing a festive family feast to someone the other day which included that term. His reply was that it didnt sound good but he wasn’t sure because “I dont know any of Norman Rockwells recipes.”
Heh, getting pinged from a thread long ago is always disorienting!
Oh sure, doesnt everyone? 98-102 degrees for 28 days like any other chicken...
Interesting old thread.
Anybody know the origins of “pipe dream”?
1) “Hey, cut me a Hus.”
The HUS, a Sikorsky CH-34 piston driven helicopter was a reliable and frequently available 16 passenger helicopter used by Marines in early Vietnam. When somebody was seeking to lighten their infantry or logistics burden in humping to a remote location or uphill, they would appeal to the aviation controllers to “Cut me a HUS”, when unscheduled and they were available for the asking.
Now part of Marine parlance, it is synonymous with “Give me a break”.
2) “Nothin but Maggie’s Drawers”
During Rifle Markmanship training, a shooter would aim at a target downrange, with other Marines below the target behind the berm, and they would pull down the target, mark the bullet hole with a large 6” spot, hoist back up the target, so the shooter could identify how he scored on his shot. The Marines marking the target would then raise a large stick with a White or Black disc, holding it over the target or to the side indicating the score of the shot, 1-5. 5 being the bulls-eye.
When the bullet missed the cheesecloth entirely, there was no where to place the spotter, and the markers would wave the White side of the disc across the target, communicating a complete miss or score of “0” for that round shot. Since the movement of the placard caught everybody’s attention in their peripheral vision, it was nicknamed waving “Maggie’s Drawers”. Synonymous with a complete failure or miss of the target.
So set condition YOKE.
Standin’ Mail Buoy Watch.
Go polish the Golden Rivet.
Go fetch me some Chow Line.
More often Gore is full of the ox’s used food.
Chew the fat.
What the ol’ mountaineers used to do while waitin out a big blow.
It ain’t calling, texting or instagramming, but it is a coping tool nontheless.
Ooh, would love to fold, spindle and mutilate a few of those!
This could be the guy.
must be the water-cooled mg’s. that is a lot of weight, (30-cal). You’d have to have a number of men to carry a 27 foot belt of 50 BMG. LOL
from which comes “Don’t go off half-cocked.” LOL
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