Maritime English 1

I guess the vocabulary of every language is shaped by the history and geography of the places it developed in – and English is no exception. The United Kingdom has almost 8000 miles of coastline and a long history as a seafaring nation, so it’s no surprise that many words and phrases that were originally used on boats and at sea have found their way into our everyday vocabulary.

Last year, I wrote a post about the ways that we use water metaphors to talk about the movement of people and so here’s the first of what will be several posts exploring some of the intermediate and advanced vocabulary that’s connected directly to boats. Let’s get started.

(Don’t) rock the boat

If you’re a cautious person in a difficult situation that you’re struggling with, you may really want to try to change things but decide against saying or doing things that might upset people or cause problems because you don’t want to rock the boat. So when you first start a job, it’s best not to rock the boat unless you want to be out on your ear before you’ve even really got started. If you have a big family get-together at a certain time of the year, you might need to hold your tongue and steer clear of topics you don’t see eye to eye about – like politics, for example – because you don’t want to rock the boat and end up getting into a blazing row. Perhaps ironically though, politicians who are prepared to rock the boat and speak their minds are often popular with voters even if they’re not always appreciated quite as much by their parties!

In the same boat

If you realise that you’re in the same bad position or situation as someone you’re talking to, you might tell them that you’re in the same boat. If a friend complains that they’re starting to go bald, say, you might respond by saying Hey, I’m in the same boat and then show them your receding hairline or bald patch in the hope it’ll make them feel better.

Whilst the expression can be a way of showing sympathy, it can also be a way of showing frustration or of reminding people that their suffering isn’t unique. In other words, it can be a way of telling people who are moaning that their situation isn’t that unusual. For example, if a colleague is complaining about their workload, you might respond by saying that everyone’s in the same boat – they’re all snowed under with work! 

Oh, and if the situation you both find yourself in is particularly dire, you can always use the old joke and say you’re in the same boat – and it’s clearly the Titanic!

Push the boat out

There’s a tradition that when a new boat is launched out to sea for the first time, you crack open a bottle of champagne on its side to bless the ship and its crew and bring good luck. Now, obviously., champagne doesn’t come cheap, so it’s maybe logical that if people push the boat out, they spend a lot of money on celebrating something. Perhaps your firm has had a really good year and to celebrate, you decide to really push the boat out and throw a big party for your employees. Or maybe you’ve not had a break from work for ages and decide to have a weekend break somewhere nice. You push the boat out and stay somewhere fancy and book a table at a Michelin-starred restaurant nearby. Some families really push the boat out when their kids get married – and end up nearly bankrupting themselves in the process. 

It’s also something people are sometimes forced to do, so if you’re managing a failing football team, for example, you may need to persuade the owners that you’ll need to push the boat out if you want to bring in new recruits – and the phrase is often used in advertising too, as firms may tell you that if you’re looking to push the boat out, you should order the seafood platter or stay in the penthouse suite or whatever. 

Whatever floats your boat

There are lots of different ways of saying that people are free to do what makes them happy. When a friend tells you they’re off to the opera tonight, you might respond by saying Yeah? OK. Well, each to their own, ehand then explaining that opera really isn’t your kind of thing. Or maybe a friend confesses that they always lick the wrappers of packets of butter, and you respond by saying Bit weird, but whatever turns you on. Well, whatever floats your boat works in much the same way.

You might hear it in cookery shows where they tell you to add raisins, nuts, chocolate chips – whatever floats your boat. Or maybe your partner suggests trying a new cuisine for dinner one day and you don’t have any strong feelings about the idea, so respond by saying Sure. Whatever floats your boat. I’m easy. 

By the way, you might also hear people say things like I can see its appeal, but it doesn’t really float my boat or I know everyone’s raving about it, but it just doesn’t float my boat.

Miss the boat

Everyone knows how terrible it is if you miss a flight or a train. If you miss the boat, you lose an opportunity because you were too slow to act – and the chance probably won’t come again! Perhaps tickets for a concert you really wanted to go to went on sale yesterday, but the event is now sold out. You missed the boat because you left it too long before trying to book. If you don’t get an application for a job or college place in on time, you’ll miss the boat and have no chance of being accepted. And if you fail to invest in some hit new company early on, you might live to regret it. Miss the boat and you won’t be able to afford shares once the company becomes a success.

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