[Ads-l] Nautical/naval jargon etc.

[victor steinbok]

While checking out some unrelated issues, I came across a few nautical
terms and phrases on succession that might require OED research. I lack
resources to chase down these leads further

First, it's "sun over the yard-arm". Easily found in Wiki, the phrase
refers to a particular time of day, generally, although the specific time
depends on location and heading. But, with time, it became the rather fixed
time when sailors got their first tot of rum. Wiki points to a relatively
late first OED quotation from Kipling but I could not find the phrase or
the quotation in online OED. Wiki also points to an earlier 1883 quotation.
However, I found an 1869 quotation, specifically explicated as drinking
time, in 1869 Our Life in Japan, which has subsequently suffered multiple
editions. nGrams points to 1867 as the earliest citing but offers no actual
citation.

Subsequently, I also looked in OED at "yardarm and yardarm" as an
expression for close quarters fighting. The quotations go pretty far back,
but I found another citation under "Cara sposa". The first quotation (the
one with "yardarm and yardarm") is 1750 IIRC. The second is 1793. There's a
further catch. The definition for "Cara sposa" gives "wife or close female
companion". That is indeed the use in *later* quotations. But these two
very clearly refer to a *male* companion, i.e., "ship wife". I don't have
the resources to delve further, at the moment, but I would suggest a closer
inspection to see if this is more than a mere coincidence. It is quite
possible (and likely, in my view) that the earlier use was indeed
euphemistic but picked up as literal in later nautical fiction. There seems
to be no natural cause to use an Italian term like that in naval jargon,
which is why I suspect the change in meaning. Perhaps all this is
well-known already and I'm rebel-rousing for nothing.

Finally, I know that this topic has been put to rest already but is there a
"yard" connection to the "whole nine yards"? A clipper might have seven
yards. Late 19th century ships might have more. Definitely not my area of
expertise by any stretch.

VS

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