Ever wonder why we say the things we do? Among the countless idioms we toss around, 10 common phrases actually trace their lineage back to the creaking decks and billowing sails of historic ships. From flags fluttering in battle to the groaning timbers of a vessel caught in a gale, the sea has left a surprisingly salty imprint on everyday language. Let’s set sail through these expressions and uncover the high‑seas stories that gave them life.
10 Common Phrases and Their Nautical Roots
10 To Show One’s True Colors
When someone “shows their true colors,” they are revealing their genuine nature – a phrase that hails from the world of naval flags. In military parlance, “colors” refers to a ship’s flags, and for centuries vessels would sometimes hoist false colors to deceive an opponent and slip closer for a surprise attack. Pirates famously employed this ruse, but so did warships during periods of conflict.
Naval tradition, however, insisted that a vessel could not fire unless it displayed its authentic colors. As Mountague Bernard noted in his 1870 work A Historical Account of the Neutrality of Great Britain During the American Civil War, “a ship may not fire without showing her true colours.” The earliest printed instance of the phrase appears in Thomas Becon’s 1551 treatise A Fruitful Treatise of Fasting, where the devil is described as “setteth forth him selfe in his true colours.”
Its sibling idiom, “to pass with flying colors,” shares a similar pedigree. After a victorious engagement, a ship would raise its regimental flag to signal triumph, while the defeated vessels were forced to strike (lower) their colors.
9 Toe the Line
The phrase “toe the line,” meaning to conform to a standard or literally line up one’s toes, has murky origins but is linked to both the Royal Navy and the British Army. While it’s unclear which service coined the expression first, the earliest printed usage appears in John Railton’s 1738 manual The Army Regulator, describing troops being ordered into a precise formation.
In a naval setting, the phrase surfaces in an 1831 account by Captain Basil Hall. He recounts a crew being arranged on deck with “each with his toes at the edge of a plank,” a disciplinary practice where sailors stood on a marked line – later dubbed “toe‑the‑line matches.” Disobedient mariners could be punished by being forced to remain on the plank’s line for extended periods.
8 Pipe Down
Life aboard a ship is a cacophony of wind, waves, and creaking timbers, so orders were often given via a whistle or pipe. The command “pipe down” signaled that the crew’s duties were finished and the ship would settle into a quieter state. Consequently, the phrase evolved to mean “be quiet.”
The instruction is documented in Leonard Gillespie’s 1798 manual Advice to Commanders and Officers, which notes, “at four o’clock, P.M. the hammocks should regularly be piped down.” Herman Melville later echoed the phrase in his 1850 novel White‑Jacket, writing, “‘Pipe down!’ cried the Captain, and the crew slowly dispersed.”
7 By and Large
When we say something is “by and large” we mean it is mostly or generally true. The expression originates from sailing terminology, where it was shorthand for “close‑hauled and not close‑hauled.” “By” denotes a ship sailing as close to the wind as possible (close‑hauled), while “large” indicates sailing with the wind hitting the stern (not close‑hauled).
Thus, a vessel described as handling “by and large” could navigate well under both wind directions. The earliest known printed reference appears in Samuel Sturmy’s 1669 periodical The Mariners Magazine, which states, “Thus you see the ship handled in fair weather and foul, by and learge.”
6 Three Sheets to/in the Wind
In nautical lingo, “sheets” are the ropes that control a ship’s sails. If these sheets become loose, the sails flap erratically, making the vessel sway like a drunk staggering about. Hence, describing someone as “three sheets to (or in) the wind” conveys that they’re heavily intoxicated.
The phrase first surfaces in print in Pierce Egan’s 1821 work Real Life in London, where he writes, “Old Wax and Bristles is about three sheets in the wind.” While modern usage favors “three” and the preposition “to,” earlier versions employed a scale: one sheet denoted tipsiness, two indicated a stronger buzz, and three signified full‑blown drunkenness. Catherine Ward’s 1824 novel The Fisher’s Daughter illustrates this scale, noting a character who “instead of being one sheet in the wind, was likely to get to three before he took his departure.”
5 Hand over Fist
The idiom “hand over fist,” commonly used to describe rapid gains—especially of money—has maritime roots, though its exact birth aboard ship is debated. It began as “hand over hand” in the mid‑1700s, describing the motion of climbing a rope. While ropes are not exclusive to ships, they are undeniably central to seafaring.
The earliest known use appears in a 1736 letter by Benjamin Cooke, who described a man descending a well “hand over hand, as the Workmen call it.” The phrase entered naval literature in William Falconer’s 1769 An Universal Dictionary of the Marine, which notes that a sailor “goes aloft, hand‑over‑hand, when he ascends into the tops … by a single rope.”
By the 1820s, the expression evolved to “hand over fist.” William Glascock’s 1826 The Naval Sketchbook records the French “coming up with us, ‘hand over fist,’ in three divisions.” Around the same time, the phrase acquired its modern money‑making connotation, as seen in Seba Smith’s 1833 novel The Life and Writings of Major Jack Downing, where people “clawed the money off of his table, hand over fist.”
4 Taken Aback
In naval terms, “aback” describes a ship’s sails being forced backward against the mast by a sudden wind shift. To be “taken aback” meant the vessel was abruptly caught in this condition, either due to a change in wind direction or a sudden course alteration. Today, the phrase has broadened to mean being surprised.
The word dates back to at least the late 17th century; a 1697 edition of the London Gazette records “I braced my topsails aback.” The compound “taken aback” appears in a 1755‑56 issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, which warns that “If they luff up, they will be taken aback, and run the hazard of being dismasted.” The expression entered general usage during the 1800s, with Charles Dickens noting he was “ever so taken aback” in his 1842 travelogue American Notes for General Circulation.
3 Dutch Courage
“Dutch courage” refers to the confidence boost one gets from a drink, and its origin lies in the Royal Navy’s rivalry with the Dutch during the 17th and 18th‑century Anglo‑Dutch Wars. English sailors used “Dutch” as a pejorative, and the phrase plays on stereotypes of Dutch drunkenness, particularly the consumption of genever—a juniper‑flavored spirit that later evolved into gin.
Other “Dutch” idioms include “going Dutch” (splitting the bill) and “Dutch bargain” (a deal struck while intoxicated). The earliest literary allusion to the concept appears in a 1665 poem by Edmund Waller: “The Dutch their Wine, and all their Brandy lose, / Dis‑arm’d of that from which their Courage grows.” The exact phrase “Dutch courage” first shows up in print in 1781, when Captain Decker wrote to the Amsterdam Gazette that “It is very probable the Dutch sailors were drunk. Dutch courage has been long proverbial.”
2 Turn a Blind Eye
The expression “turn a blind eye,” meaning to willfully ignore something, is linked to the famed Royal Navy officer Horatio Nelson. During the 1801 Battle of Copenhagen, Admiral Hyde Parker, fearing defeat, signaled Nelson—who was on a different ship—to retreat. Nelson allegedly replied, “I have only one eye—I have a right to be blind sometimes,” and then raised his telescope to his glass eye, declaring, “I really do not see the signal!”
This anecdote was first recorded in Robert Southey’s 1813 biography Life of Nelson, though some historians suspect it may be more myth than fact. Nevertheless, the story cemented the phrase in popular usage. Notably, Nelson’s decision to ignore the signal proved successful, as the Danish forces soon agreed to a truce.
1 Slush Fund
Today, a “slush fund” denotes a stash of money kept for miscellaneous—often illicit—purposes, such as bribery or hush money. The term’s nautical roots lie in the 18th‑century meaning of “slush” as the greasy waste from cooking aboard ship. Crews would render this fat into candles and other products, storing it in barrels until the vessel reached port, where it could be sold.
By the early 19th century, the proceeds from this “slush” were called a “slush fund.” William McNally’s 1839 treatise Evils and Abuses in the Naval and Merchant Service, Exposed explains that the provision was weighed before boiling, and “all that comes from it ought to be given to them, as it forms a component part of their ration.” However, officers often siphoned the money for personal luxuries, such as cushions and rugs, leaving the crew short‑changed.
The phrase migrated ashore by the mid‑1800s and quickly acquired a shady connotation, becoming synonymous with secretive, sometimes illegal, financial reserves.