There’s good motive to consider that sailors have at all times slung salty language on the high seas. Actually, “son of a bitch” may need been probably the most potent “preventing phrases” within the English language, each on and off the water. To “spin a yarn” is sailor-converse for telling a story and references the nautical follow of twisting fibers collectively to type a thick rope. Do modern sailors still deserve the fame as prolific and artistic cussers? A part of speaking like a sailor was being conversant in all of the specialized shipboard jargon – from scuppers to scuttlebutts – which itself may sound like a foreign language. From the late seventeenth by way of the nineteenth century, there was arguably no career more harmful and technically demanding as being a crewmember on a large sailing vessel, says Marc Nucup, public historian at the Mariners’ Museum and Park in Newport News, Virginia. In his e-book, Gilje found a number of accounts of males aboard a ship almost killing each other over being known as the phrase. We reached out to Dave Winkler, a retired Navy Reserve commander and now a historian with the Naval Historical Foundation, who relayed a narrative about a crewmate who virtually jumped overboard when the brand new skipper handed down a “no swearing” order. Successful acceptance into the sailors’ brotherhood often meant actively rejecting the mores of mainstream society, no less than while onboard the ship. If “rattling” was dangerous enough, then what was thought of a actually vile example of “swearing like a sailor”? However proficiency with foul language (no less than in keeping with 18th-century standards) was additionally a positive signal that you just have been an skilled and trusted hand. To trendy ears, the phrase “rattling” barely registers as bad language, however within the highly religious culture of 18th- and nineteenth-century America, “rattling” packed a serious punch. And to name a man a “son of a bitch” was an unforgivable offense considering the pedestals upon which young sailors positioned their angel mothers. As historian Paul Gilje explained his excellent guide, “To Swear Like a Sailor: Maritime Culture in America 1750-1850,” misusing the phrase “rattling” may violate two totally different Christian taboos: 1) taking the Lord’s name in vain (as in “God damn you!”) or 2) placing your self on the same level as God by damning all the things from bad wind to a drunken captain. What Did You Say About My Momma? Every side of sailing required coordinated teamwork and a “weak hyperlink” on the crew may trigger grave damage or demise. Gilje says that over time sailors took increasingly pleasure in their salty fame, and whereas insults like “son of a bitch” became widespread among nineteenth-century Americans of all professions, sailors “embraced cursing with a distinct gusto” and elevated it into an “art type.” The power to swear freely was romanticized as one of many liberties of life at sea and “swearing like a sailor” came to represent a certain form of manly maritime way of life. What Did You Say About My Momma? To call a girl a “bitch” in the 18th and 19th century was to deem her less than human and literally bestial. Winning the belief and respect of your crewmates was essential, which meant convincing them you had been a part of the insular brotherhood of sailors. Most sailors have been raised in religious properties and fully understood that throwing across the word “damn” was sinful business, but that was additionally a part of the attraction. To drive his level house, Gilje references the Boston Massacre, the notorious incident wherein British soldiers fired on a crowd of rioting civilians in Boston in 1770, killing five American colonists in the lead-up to the Revolutionary Struggle. However the insults and taunts did not stop there. Even the adjective “salty,” meaning crude language, originated within the late 1800s as a reference to the “colorful” tradition and vocabulary of sailors. Captains whipped and beat men for less, and mutinies have been plotted over such seemingly tame words. HowStuffWorks earns a small affiliate fee whenever you purchase via hyperlinks on our site. Because the indignant Bostonians first clashed with the British troopers, one boy pointed to a soldier and cried out, “This is the son of a bitch that knocked me down.” That will have nearly certainly made the soldier’s blood boil. So, what was it precisely about nautical life that turned good Christian boys into foul-mouthed seamen and popularized the notion of “swearing like a sailor”?