A compendium of fascinating information about the great waters that
cover two-thirds of our Earth and the men and women that sailed
them. Breverton's Nautical Curiosities is about ships, people and
the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus
of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright
extraordinary. Someone most of us do not know, Admiral William
Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral
Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And
without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the
Monitor, the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War.
Readers will be stimulated to read more about the remarkable men -
explorers, admirals and trawlermen - who have shaped our world. The
sea has had a remarkable effect upon our language. We hear the
terms 'steer clear of', 'hit the deck', 'don't rock the boat', 'to
harbour a grudge' and the like, and give little thought to them. In
the pages of this book, the reader will find the origin of
'bumpkin', a 'brace of shakes', 'born with a silver spoon', 'booby
prize', 'to take on board', 'above board', 'bombed' (in the sense
of being drunk), the 'blues', 'blind-side', 'blind drunk', 'the pot
calling the kettle black', 'reach the bitter end', 'wasters',
'ahoy', 'all at sea', 'to keep aloof', 'piss-artist', 'taken
aback', 'barbecue'' and 'bamboozle'. Other colourful terms, which
have passed out of common usage, such as 'bring one's arse to
anchor' (sit down), 'belly timber' (food) and 'bog orange' (potato)
are also included, as well as important pirate haunts, technical
terms, famous battles, maritime inventors and ship speed records.
General
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