We asked, what does “nibbling” mean and where did the term originate?
Nibbling, typically  refers to taking small bites out of a tasty treat, but in the sailing world it refers to the pointed shapes of the ends of certain deck planks.
According to John G. Rogers’ Origins of Sea Terms these pointed ends are made to [...]

Today’s challenge is: Nibbling. Do you know what this phrase means and how it originated?
Sailing Lingo aims to test your knowledge of the peculiar and sometimes indecipherable language of sailing. We pose a question and see who can answer it most accurately in the comments on the post. The following day we’ll post the answer [...]

We asked, what does “ditty bag” mean and where did the term originate?
The ditty bag is a small bag in which a sailor keeps small tools and equipment, also personal articles according to John Rogers in Origins of Sea Terms.
The ditty bag and the sea bag were the first projects for an apprentice either [...]

Today’s challenge is: Ditty Bag. Do you know what this phrase means and how it originated?
Sailing Lingo aims to test your knowledge of the peculiar and sometimes indecipherable language of sailing. We pose a question and see who can answer it most accurately in the comments on the post. The following day we’ll post the answer [...]

Yesterday we asked, what does “fathom” mean and where did the term originate?
Today a fathom is now a nautical unit of length equal to six feet. Fathom was originally a land measuring term derived from the Anglo-Saxon word “faethm” meaning to embrace. In those days, most measurements were based on average size of parts [...]