Sound Like a Sailor: The Book of Nautical Expressions [Hardcover]

An essential collection for every sailor’s library, this fun dictionary of phrases and terms is anchored in nautical history.

Life-long sailor Bruce Macdonald knows a thing or two about the language of the sea and, inSound Like a Sailor, he catalogs nautical terms and idioms that are used in the common vernacular. Delving deep into the colorful history behind each word or phrase, this alphabetical reference will help readers understand the maritime origins of our most ubiquitous expressions.

Discover how minding your p’s and q’s originates in how bartenders kept track of pints and quarts on sailors’ tabs, how “going berserk” calls up images of shirtless Vikings, and how the word “footloose” originally referred to an untethered sail flapping around like Kevin Bacon’s legs. And, as any superstitious sailor knows, it’s best to “cheat the devil” by having an arsenal of euphemisms at the ready when needed, as cursing is said to invite trouble aboard.

An essential book for boating enthusiasts and language buffs alike,Sound Like a Sailoris a windfall of fascinating linguistic information.

"whether you’re looking for some salty trivia or to cultivate some new nautical paranoia, this book is guaranteed to enchant and inform."—SAILmagazine

"Never Say P*gmerits signing aboard with anyone’s library, be they pollywog or shellback. It will inform as well as entertain on dark and stormy nights or in the noon-day sun, at sea or ashore."—Captain Jonathan Bacon Smith,SEA HISTORYmagazine

“Nicely illustrated throughout with black-and-white images,Never Say P*g: The Book of Sailors' Superstitionsis an inherently fascinating and informative compendium of maritime belilÃN