English Expressions That Originated With Sailor Jargon

HostDr. Erica Brozovsky, PhDof thePBSseriesOtherwordsgot aboard to explain the long list of English expressions that originated with sailors and how this nautical jargon made their way into the modern lexicon.

Sailors live and work for long stretches of time in isolation and close quarters... So it makes sense that their jargon would be as broad and deep as the ocean. Presumably, once their seafaring days were over, they took this jargon ashore ....Eventually, certain words and phrases became so commonplace that most English speakers have no inkling of their nautical origins..