Customer Reviews:
 From A.1 to Write-Off November 14, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Bill Beavis and Richard McCloskey's "Salty Dog Talk: The Nautical Origins of Everyday Expressions" is a short, entertaining but informative "dictionary" of everyday expressions with nautical origins.
The roughly 200 terms and expressions can be grouped into three types: common words we all know have nautical origins (e.g., scuttlebutt, groggy); common words most of us don't know have nautical connections, often because they have obscure nautical origins (e.g., blazers, "black book," son of a gun, filibuster); and words with a nautical etymology (floating, hammocks, mayonnaise, rostrum, quarantine). Surprisingly, even though the authors give the etymology of many primarily nautical words, they do not include entries for "starboard" and "port/larboard."
The entries are short, not sourced, and are often amusing and light-hearted (especially when the terms border on or have truly "salty" and crude variations). Although a bit over-priced, this book is good for what is tries to do and would be a welcome addition to any sailor's or amateur etymologist's/linguist's library, or for anyone else with any interest in these subjects.
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