Old Sayings,Anecdotes,Related to Wildlife

[posie]

Another navy one is 'Give it a wide berth'..and...'Sailing two sheets to the wind' What does that mean? is it when you are tipsy.?....Posie..

[Ted Pearson]

Originally Posted by posie

Another navy one is 'Give it a wide berth'..and...'Sailing two sheets to the wind' What does that mean? is it when you are tipsy.?....Posie..

Sheets are the ropes used to manage a ship's sails. It is assumed that if these ropes were blowing in the wind, the ship would be out of control.
Ted

[Ted Pearson]

Originally Posted by posie

'Give it a wide berth'..Posie..

The place a vessel is tied to a dock is called its berth. When the vessel’s mooring lines are loose, it can drift and damage the vessel berthed beside it. Allowing more space for this drift when mooring your vessel next to it is giving it a wider berth and reduces the danger of collision.

My understanding of this phrase is:
To put a good distance between when passing. Like a growling dog in someone’s yard, one would ‘give it a wide berth’ by walking past it on the opposite side of the street.
Ted

[Jonners]

Not exactly an old saying or anecdote, but fun nevertheless, by Ogden Nash:
A duck, it quacks
A cluck it lacks
And when it sups
It bottoms ups.
And there's a few where that came from, but I digress from the title. Apologies

[Ted Pearson]

Red Rover, Red Rover.
Let Teddy come over.

[Jonners]

Incidentally, going right back to the start of this thread, and I apologise if it's already been answered, why do we stone the crows, and not any other bird, beast or random object?

[posie]

Originally Posted by Jonners

Not exactly an old saying or anecdote, but fun nevertheless, by Ogden Nash:
A duck, it quacks
A cluck it lacks
And when it sups
It bottoms ups.
And there's a few where that came from, but I digress from the title. Apologies

Hi, Jonners, I think anything goes as long as its either interesting or amusing. You will not find ME moaning about being off thread...Bring It On ! Posie.. and with regard to your question you're gonna have to go back on the thread and read it for yourself, I'm not goin' through all that again.EEK....Posie. smile.

[Hedera]

Wasn't there a saying about a worm turning?

[posie]

Yes , and there's also the 'Snake in the Grass'.......Posie..

[Monkey Orchid]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

Going back to old sailor's sayings. 'As the crow flies' apparently referred to the practice of carrying boxes of live crows on board ships as a navigation aid. When one was released, from the 'crow's nest' it always flew directly to the nearest land, in a straight line.

Vikings used to take ravens with them on sea voyages for this purpose. That's how early Norwegian explorer Floki Vilgerdarson found his way to a newly-discovered Iceland. (Apparently it took three ravens to do it, though - the first simply flew back to the Faroes where Floki had set sail from, whilst the second roosted in the ship's rigging!)

Early satnav... Ravnav?