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Nautical Etymology, Compiled from many sources during many slow watches:

Devil to Pay: Today the expression "devil to pay" is used primarily to describe having an unpleasant result from some action that has been taken, as in someone has done something they shouldn't have and, as a result, "there will be the devil to pay." Originally, this expression described one of the unpleasant tasks aboard a wooden ship. The "devil" was the wooden ship's longest seam in the hull. Caulking was done with "pay" or pitch (a kind of tar). The task of "paying the devil" (caulking the longest seam) by squatting in the bilges was despised by every seaman.

Astronaut/Cosmonaut: From “nautes”, which means sailor.

Posh: Meaning fashionable and expensive in modern language but has its origins from the docks of Boston. The trunks of the wealthy used to travel from Europe to America would carry the label "POSH", short for "portside out, starboard home." This phrase was used to indicate the side of the ship where the luggage should be placed to avoid exposure to the ocean sun.

The word “posh” is actually a cruise acronym. In the days before air conditioning, the well-heeled who could afford such luxuries on their trips across the simmering Indian Ocean to India and Australia would book cabins on the cooler side of the ship. The designation Port Outward, Starboard Home was shortened to P.O.S.H., which eventually became a word signifying luxury.

Ostracism: From the Greek word, ostrakon "oyster shell", banishments were inscribed on oyster shells.

Skyscraper: The topsails of ships were called skyscrapers and later became the name for tall buildings.

Strike: Meaning to lower or to take down, as a sail or an ensign (the ship flag) or a yard (the cross member of the mast). When the British mutinied in 1797, the sailors damaged the ships' yards to prevent them from sailing to sea.

Abundance: The Latin “ab”, means “from” and the Latin word, unda, means wave. Abundance came to mean plenty of waves or water.

Overwhelm: Derived from the Middle English term "to capsize".

Listless: During a strong wind, the ship would list (tilt at an axis) to the port (left) or starboard (right). If there was no wind, then there was no list and no movement for the ship.

Antenna: The Romans used this term to refer to the wooden horizontal beams that sails hung from. During the 16th century, the term was used to refer to the "horns" of an insect.

Salary: The Latin word, salarium, was the allowance of sea salt given to Roman soldiers with their wages.

Taken Aback: One of the hazards faced in days of sailing ships has been incorporated into English to describe someone who has been jolted by unpleasant news. We say that person has been "taken aback." The person is at a momentary loss, unable to act or even to speak. A danger faced by sailing ships was for a sudden shift in wind to come up (from a sudden squall), blowing the sails back against the masts, putting the ship in grave danger of having the masts break off and rendering the ship totally helpless. The ship was taken aback.

Shake a leg: I have been led to believe that having women aboard ship, often wives and girlfriends visiting while the ship was in home port, led to this phrase. When the petty officer's came through the compartments rousing the men in the morning, a women could avoid being dumped out of the hammock by "shaking a leg," showing that the occupant was female and not required to turn to for work.

SKYLARKING: Originally, skylarking described the antics of young Navy men who climbed and slid down the backstays for fun. Since the ancient word "lac" means "to play" and the games started high in the masts, the term was "skylacing." Later, corruption of the word changed it to "skylarking".

DITTY BAG: Ditty bag (or box) was originally called ditto bag because it contained at least two of everything: two needles, two spools of thread, two buttons, etc. With the passing of years, the 'ditto' was dropped in favor of ditty and remains so today. Before WW I, the Navy issued ditty boxes made of wood and styled after footlockers. These carried the personal gear and some clothes of the sailor. Today the ditty bag is still issued to recruits and contains a sewing kit, toiletry articles and personal items such as writing paper and pens.

Petty Officer: A non-commissioned officer. From the French word petit meaning "small" or "junior."

Three Mile Limit: The original three-mile limit was the recognized distance from a nation's shore over which that nation had jurisdiction. This border of international waters or the "high seas" was established because, at the time this international law was established, three miles was the longest range of any nation's most powerful guns, and therefore, the limit from shore batteries at which they could enforce their laws. (International law and the 1988 Territorial Sea Proclamation established the "high seas" border at the 12-mile limit.)

Hand Salute: The hand salute in the American Navy came by way of the British Navy. It is generally agreed that the salute is the first part of the movements of uncovering. That there was nothing in the hand is a possible explanation of the British salute with the palm turned out. From the earliest days of organized military units, the junior has uncovered in addressing or meeting the senior. Lord St. Vincent, in 1796, promulgated an order to the effect that all officers were to take off their hats when receiving orders from superiors. Sketches of Naval Life, written on board the USS Constitution, in 1826, gives an account of a Sunday inspection on board that describes the salute of the day. "The Captain and First Lieutenant, Mr. Vallette, are now on the deck; they pass around and examine every part of it, each man lifting his hat as they pass, or in default of one, catching hold of a lock of hair."
And in 1849, an officer records: "Some very good officers to show a marked distinction between the petty officers and other part of the crew, have given instructions that on those occasions on which the seamen generally pull off their hats as a mark of respect, such as divisions, muster by the open list, etc., that the petty officers shall then only touch their caps."
In 1890, Queen Victoria only decreed the hand salute because of her displeasure at seeing officers and men stand uncovered when they appeared for royal commendation.
In the United States Navy, officers in the open uncover only for divine services. Men uncover when at "mast" for reports and requests, and in officers' country unless under arms or wearing a watch belt.

Fathom: Fathom was originally a land measuring term derived from the Ango-Saxon word "faetm" meaning to embrace. In those days, most measurements were based on average size of parts of the body, such as the hand (horses are still measured this way) or the foot (that's why 12 inches are so named). A fathom is the average distance from fingertip to fingertip of the outstretched arms of a man — about six feet. Since a man stretches out his arms to embrace his sweetheart, Britain's Parliament declared that distance be called a "fathom" and it be a unit of measure. A fathom remains six feet. The word was also used to describe taking the measure or "to fathom" something. Today, of course, when one is trying to figure something out, they are trying to "fathom" it.
Fathom: although a fathom is now a nautical unit of length equal to six feet, it was once defined by an act of Parliament as "the length of a man's arms around the object of his affections." The word derives from the Old English Faethm, which means, "embracing arms."


Feeling Blue: If you are sad and describe yourself as "feeling blue," you are using a phrase coined from a custom among many old deepwater sailing ships. If the ship lost the captain or any of the officers during its voyage, she would fly blue flags and have a blue band painted along her entire hull when returning to homeport.

Scuttlebutt: The cask of drinking water on ships was called a scuttlebutt and since Sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became U.S. Navy slang for gossip or rumors. A butt was a wooden cask, which held water or other liquids; to scuttle is to drill a hole, as for tapping a cask.

Gun Salutes: Gun salutes were first fired as an act of good faith. In the days when it took so long to reload a gun, it was a proof of friendly intention when the ship's cannon were discharged upon entering port.

“Shows his true colors”: Early warships often carried flags from many nations on board in order to elude or deceive the enemy. The rules of civilized warfare called for all ships to hoist their true national ensigns before firing a shot. Someone who finally "shows his true colors" is acting like a man-of-war, which hailed another ship flying one flag, but then hoisted their own when they got in firing range.
Forecastle: The appropriate pronunciation for this word is fo'ksul. The forecastle is the forward part of the main deck. It derives its name from the days of Viking galleys when wooden castles were built on the forward and after parts the main deck from which archers and other fighting men could shoot arrows and throw spears, rocks, etc.

Crow's Nest: The raven, or crow, was an essential part of the Vikings' navigation equipment. These land-lubbing birds were carried on aboard to help the ship's navigator determine where the closest land lay when weather prevented sighting the shore. In cases of poor visibility, a crow was released and the navigator plotted a course corresponding to the bird's flight path because the crow invariably headed towards land.
The Norsemen carried the birds in a cage secured to the top of the mast. Later on, as ships grew and the lookout stood his watch in a tub located high on the main mast, the name "crow's nest" was given to this tub. While today's Navy still uses lookouts in addition to radars, etc., the crow's nest is a thing of the past. (possibly ravens)

Poop Deck: The aft-most, raised weather deck on a ship. The name came from the Middle English poupe, from the Latin puppim, meaning the rear section of a ship The word derived from the Latin Puppis, meaning a doll or small image, The Romans and other ancient seafaring peoples had a small sacred idol or image affixed to the stern, where the deity it represented could watch over the vessel. To be “pooped” incidentally, meant to have a wave break over the ship's stern.

Stateroom: An officer's or passenger's cabin aboard a merchant ship, or the cabin of an officer other than the captain aboard a naval ship, The term may be derived from the fact that in the 16th and 17th centuries, ships often had a cabin reserved for royal or noble passengers.
Before refrigeration, food was preserved in brine within wooden casks. In time, the salt-hardened fat on the meat, became stuck to the sides of the barrel. But the cook would not waste this and could often be seen scraping the barrel whilst the crew impatiently waited and chewed the fat. The hard fat was perfect for greasing masts and preserving leather fittings, so to prevent the crew from using it all, the cook would secrete it in his 'slush fund', selling the excess ashore to candle makers and fish and chip shops.
If sailors were lucky, they could go below to eat a square meal off the square wooden platters that cook stowed in a rack.

Gun decking: Under certain circumstances drunkenness was not a naval crime. Shore liberty was granted very infrequently and it was expected that many of the men would return to the ship drunk, with clothes torn, and, bearing the marks of fights and riots. The officers of the deck merely recorded the return of each man in the logbook. A man returning in reasonable condition was logged as "CS," meaning clean and sober. A drunk was logged as "DD," which stood for drunk and dirty. A drunken liberty man had one prerogative that had grown up with the practice of granting shore leave. He was expected to conduct himself as best he could in the presence of the gangway watch; but upon reaching the gun deck, he was allowed to curse the officers, the ship, the navy, or any other institution in the vilest language he was capable of uttering with impunity. This practice was called "gun decking" and constituted one of the few ways which the men of the Old Navy had for releasing pent-up emotions.

Three Mile Limit: The original three-mile limit was the recognized distance from a nation's shore over which that nation had jurisdiction. This border of international waters or the "high seas" was established because, at the time this international law was established, three miles was the longest range of any nation's most powerful guns, and therefore, the limit from shore batteries at which they could enforce their laws. (International law and the 1988 Territorial Sea Proclamation established the "high seas" border at the 12-mile limit.)

Chewing the Fat: "God made the vittles but the devil made the cook," was a popular saying used by seafaring men in the 19th century when salted beef was staple diet aboard ship.
This tough cured beef, suitable only for long voyages when nothing else was cheap or would keep as well (remember, there was no refrigeration), required prolonged chewing to make it edible. Men often chewed one chunk for hours, just as it were chewing gum and referred to this practice as "chewing the fat."

Taken Aback: One of the hazards faced in days of sailing ships has been incorporated into English to describe someone who has been jolted by unpleasant news. We say that person has been "taken aback." The person is at a momentary loss; unable to act or even to speak. A danger faced by sailing ships was for a sudden shift in wind to come up (from a sudden squall), blowing the sails back against the masts, putting the ship in grave danger of having the masts break off and rendering the ship totally helpless. The ship was taken aback.
Port holes The word "port hole" originated during the reign of Henry VI of England (1485). King Henry insisted on mounting guns too large for his ship and the traditional methods of securing these weapons on the forecastle and aftcastle could not be used. A French shipbuilder named James Baker was commissioned to solve the problem. He put small doors in the side of the ship and mounted the cannon inside the ship. These doors protected the cannon from weather and were opened when the cannon were to be used. The French word for "door" is "porte" which was later Anglicized to "port" and later went on to mean any opening in the ship's side, whether for cannon or not.

Log Book: In the early days of sailing ships, the ship's records were written on shingles cut from logs. These shingles were hinged and opened like a book. The record was called the "log book." Later on, when paper was readily available and bound into books, the record maintained it name.

Cup of Joe: Josephus Daniels (18 May 1862-15 January 1948) was appointed Secretary of the Navy by President Woodrow Wilson in 1913. Among his reforms of the Navy were inaugurating the practice of making 100 Sailors from the Fleet eligible for entrance into the Naval Academy, the introduction of women into the service, and the abolishment of the officers' wine mess. From that time on, the strongest drink aboard Navy ships could only be coffee and over the years, a cup of coffee became known as "a cup of Joe".

Grog: Admiral Vernon (1684-1757) wore his cloak of grogram (silk and wool mix) so habitually that his men nicknamed him “Old Grog”. When the Admiral suggested to the British government that they could save money by diluting the Navy rum ration with 50% water, and the law passed to that effect, sailors took to calling the rum ration “Grog”.

Starboard: The Vikings called the side of their ship its board, and they placed the steering oar, the "star" on the right side of the ship, thus that side became known as the "star board." It's been that way ever since. And, because the oar was in the right side, the ship was tied to the dock at the left side. This was known as the loading side or "larboard". Later, it was decided that "larboard" and "starboard" were too similar, especially when trying to be heard over the roar of a heavy sea, so the phrase became the "side at which you tied up to in port" or the "port" side.

Head: (1) The uppermost or forward-most part of a ship (or Of some specific part of a ship, such as the masthead, beakhead, stemhead, or whatever. (2) The bathroom. In the age of sail, the crew was quartered forward in the forecastle, and their latrine was located on the beakhead, overhanging the water.

Sideboys: In the days of sailing ships, it was not uncommon for the commanding officers of ships sailing in convoy to convene aboard the flagship for conferences. Unfortunately, getting from one ship to another presented a problem when a ship was underway. The boatswain's chair, a rope-and-wood sling, was used to hoist the guest onto and off the ship. The boatswain's mate would control the heaving by blowing the appropriate commands with a whistle known as a boatswain's pipe. The number of "strong backs," or sideboys, needed to bring the visitor aboard depended upon the size of the "load" being hoisted.
Soon it was noticed that the more senior the visitor's rank, the more Sailors were needed to "man the side." In present time, it is not necessary to hoist visitors onto and off of Navy ships, but the custom of mustering the sideboys and piping a distinguished visitor aboard ship remains in use.