Ocean Words

Vocabulary game

The sea has contributed many expressions to the English language. “The coast is clear”, “to feel like a fish out of water”, and “to be all in the same boat” are just a few examples.

Also, many words and terms derive from the sea or sea culture, even when their original meaning is not clear nowadays.

Can you find out  the original meaning of the terms below?

TERM	ORIGINAL MEANING
1.Abundance	A.From the Greek word for "sailor."
2.Antenna	B.In colonial Boston the label "portside out, starboard home" was put in the luggage of rich people.
3.Astronaut/cosmonaut/internaut	C.From the Greek meaning "oyster shell", where an order of banishment was written.
4.Groggy	D.The topsails of ships, later the name was used to refer to tall buildings.
5.Ostracism	E.To lower the yard from which sails hung. When the British Navy mutinied, sailors "struck their yards to prevent them from proceeding to sea . . ."
6.Overwhelm	F.From Latin, meaning “from the wave”. Plenty of waves or water.
7.Posh	G.Comes from the middle English word meaning to overturn or to turn bottom up, as in a boat.
8.Salary	H.Was the beam from which sails were hung in ancient Rome.
9.Skyscraper	I.Comes from Latin meaning the allowance of sea salt given to Roman soldiers with their wages.
10.Slush funds	J.Comes from the name sailors in the British Royal Navy used for their daily ration of rum or “grog”.
11.Strike	K.The money of ship cooks, earned by keeping a part of the fat, or "slush," and selling it when the ship came into port.

Adapted from the Smithsonian Institution : www.si.edu

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