Sailors slang

Learn the ropes: 10 common sayings that came straight from sailors

Life on ships was all about teamwork and facing the unknown. Sailors dealt with changing weather, rough waters, and threats that weren’t always easy to anticipate. Many phrases that still sound familiar today came out of that world, even though most of us don't use ropes or read the wind anymore. Even far from the ocean, these 10 expressions still describe everyday life.

Can you imagine what "true colors" meant in sailing slang? It was actually a direct reference to a ship’s flag. Back then, flags could show a ship’s country or empire, loyalty, or even surrender. But ships could also sail under false colors to deceive other ships and hide their real intentions. When those intentions were finally revealed, the ship showed its true colors.

That meaning is not far from the one we use today. Today, the expression is used when someone reveals their real feelings or intentions after keeping them hidden for some time.

We’ve all entered a new job or tried a new activity, and had to learn how the whole system works before taking the first steps. That is the moment you get to learn the ropes, before things start to flow naturally. And on a ship full of real ropes, sailors had to learn, one by one, which rope was for which function and where it belonged before starting to sail by themselves.

When the ship faced a dangerous or urgent situation at sea, everyone’s help was needed, and the call was simple: all hands on deck. In that phrase, "hands" meant the sailors or workers on board. It was a call for when the crew had to act quickly. The phrase keeps almost the same spirit these days. We use all hands on deck when a task is too big for one person, and everyone’s effort is required to get the job done.

Imagine standing on the shore and spotting a ship far out at sea, which isn’t close enough to arrive yet. That distant part of the sea was called the offing, so when a ship was in the offing, people knew it was on its way. The phrase made its way from ships to everyday life, and today, "in the offing" means something will happen soon, and you already see it coming.

When getting ready for difficult situations, we often say we’d better "batten down the hatches." Originally, the expression meant getting ready for rough weather. Sailors would close and secure the ship's hatch covers so water couldn’t get below deck. The word "batten" refers to strips used to fasten things down. Years had passed, and the meaning went from protecting a ship from bad weather to protecting yourself before any challenge.

Cannons were extremely heavy and mounted on wheeled carriages. If the heavy ropes or tackles securing them broke during a battle or a heavy storm, the cannon would become a "loose cannon," sliding and rolling violently across the gun deck, destroying everything and everyone in its path. That dangerous image stuck over the decades, and today, we use the phrase to refer to someone who is unpredictable or to a situation that is dangerously getting out of our control

In sailing, the sheets were the ropes or chains that controlled the sails, and when the sheets came loose, the sails could flap, and the boat would start to move in a messy, unsteady way. The comparison is easy to imagine: someone very drunk can stumble like a boat that can’t stay steady. Sailors already used that image for a person who was too drunk to walk straight, and to this day, there may be no better way to describe it.

Out at sea, "by_"_ meant sailing close to the wind, while "large" meant sailing with the wind coming more from behind or from the side. So, when a ship sailed well by and large, it was capable of handling different kinds of wind. Over the years, that idea became a way to express something in a broad sense; it is used when talking about something in general, describing the big picture without getting stuck in every small detail.

Currently, "taken aback" describes a shocking or unexpected situation, but back in the sailing days, it was all about the wind. It described the moment when the wind hit the sails from the wrong side and pushed back against the mast. Now, when people are taken aback, it's probably because they received unexpected news or were caught off guard, leaving them unsure how to react.

The phrase smooth sailing comes from the kind of trip every sailor wanted: calm water, good wind, and no major trouble ahead. When conditions were right, the ship could move forward easily. Today, the phrase works almost the same way, but outside the sea. People use it when situations become easier after a problem is fixed. A work project or a trip can become smooth sailing once the hardest part is over.

Facts you didn't know you needed

Is the day longer for your pet? Mind-blowing facts you need to know

Adults often assume they already understand the world, but there’s always something new to surprise us! Did you know that clouds actually have weight? Or that the day is longer for some animals? And that’s just the beginning. From hidden functions of your organs to the true color of the universe, today you’ll learn 10 fascinating facts you probably never thought to ask, but will make you sound impressively smart in your next conversation!

Unlike humans, animals don’t experience a shared "present" in quite the same way. Instead, their sense of time is tied to the rhythms of their own bodies. For very small animals with fast metabolisms like parrots, hamsters, or guinea pigs, time actually seems to pass more slowly. In a sense, they live in slow motion because their faster-working nervous systems allow them to process sensory information at a fast speed.

What if someone commits a crime and tries to blame their identical twin? Have you ever wondered about that? It’s a valid question; after all, identical twins not only look alike, they also share the same DNA. But here’s the surprising part: if investigators check fingerprints, the innocent twin could be cleared. That’s because, despite their nearly identical DNA, twins have unique fingerprints, shaped by subtle genetic and environmental factors in the womb.

You’ve probably spent time lying on the grass, watching clouds drift across the sky. They look light, fluffy, almost like cotton candy, and it’s hard to imagine them as heavy objects. But the truth is surprising: clouds are incredibly heavy. An average cumulus cloud can weigh around 1 million pounds! That impressive weight comes from the billions of tiny water droplets suspended in the air. So, how do they float? It’s because each droplet is extremely small and falls very slowly, while rising warm air currents help keep the cloud suspended above us.

Most of us have a rough image of the world map in our minds. But we have something to tell you: most maps aren’t completely accurate. Because the Earth is a sphere, cartographers have to distort some areas to represent it on a flat surface. On Mercator projection maps, countries near the poles appear much larger than they really are, while countries near the equator look smaller in comparison. For example, Alaska looks about the same size as Brazil, but in reality, Brazil is nearly five times larger!

Most people don’t realize that there’s actually a name for the color of the universe. Strange, right? But it’s true! Astronomers who studied the light from thousands of galaxies discovered that if you blend all the colors from the observable universe, the result is a soft, beige-ish white shade, famously named "Cosmic Latte" in 2002.

With 50 states, there’s no shortage of variety in their names. Almost every letter of the English alphabet appears at least once, except for one: Q, which is completely absent. In addition to this, there’s another surprisingly rare letter: J. While it isn’t entirely missing like Q, it only appears in one state, New Jersey.

Although we don’t notice it, indeed, the Earth’s rotation is gradually slowing. This happens because tidal friction, caused by the Moon’s gravitational pull on our oceans, creates a subtle drag on the planet’s spin. As a result, days are getting longer, but very gradually: by only about 1.7 milliseconds per century.

Do you remember your last dream? Whether good or bad, dreams are a constant part of sleep, but not everyone experiences them in the same way. Deaf people who use sign language in their daily lives often communicate through signs in their dreams, too. Meanwhile, blind people tend to have dreams rich in sounds, smells, and tactile sensations, using these other senses to experience the dream world.

We’re used to seeing hippos covered in mud, splashing in water, or barely peeking above the surface. But here’s a surprise: hippos can’t actually swim! That’s right. Because of their huge, heavy bodies, they don’t float or paddle like most animals. Instead, they walk or run along the riverbed.

Can your brain really "eat" itself? Well, close, but not exactly. There’s a process called phagocytosis, carried out by specialized immune cells in the brain known as microglia. These cells engulf and remove debris, dead cells, and other unwanted material. But don’t worry; it’s safe! The mechanisms exist to protect, repair, and maintain your brain.