# Origin of nautical terms

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nautical-terms/549019>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [August 3, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nautical-terms/549019 "2010-08-03T16:17:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\
**Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nautical-terms/549019/21 "2010-08-05T22:11:19Z")

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> [@paperbackwriter](#):
>
> Two different things are being conflated: running lights and aids to navigation. Boh use red and green to indicate sides, and **Princhester** was making a joke about the old “Red Right Returning” mnemonic so many of us learned for the navigation aids.

Got it! Clearly I don’t understand enough about nautical navigation to even understand the jokes.

Here’s one I found online:

An ensign on sea duty for the first time overheard a recruit say he was going downstairs. “Listen, sailor," he snarled, “Downstairs is below, that side is starboard, that’s aft and that’s port. If I ever hear you say one more civilian word like “downstairs” again I’ll throw you through that little round window over there!”

Speaking of which, are those round windows only on the left side? 😃

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**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nautical-terms/549019/22 "2010-08-06T00:06:17Z")

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> [@paperbackwriter](#):
>
> > [@Princhester](#):
> >
> > A ship (in centuries past) was a vessel with three or more masts, but usually just three. So my guess is that the number three was chosen because it means _all_ the sheets were loose.
> 
> Except that on a ship rig, there are usually at least three sails per mast, e.g., the main course (or just main), main top, main topgallant, and on some (usually later) ships a main royal and main sky sail. Each sail has two sheets. Long story short: A ship has at least 18 sheets, so even if three are loose, there’s still 15 in place (it’s still very poor seamanship, though).

:smack: True. Hadn’t thought about that, I was just thinking about the courses.

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**Author:** ![MikeF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nautical-terms/549019/23 "2010-08-06T17:54:43Z")

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On the Intra-Coastal Waterway (east coast) the markers marking the predominately North-South  
route are also red and green. I just remembred GReeN. Green, right, north.

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**Author:** ![Floater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/dc4da7/32.png) [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)\
**Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-nautical-terms/549019/24 "2010-08-11T16:09:23Z")

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> [@Bytegeist](#):
>
> A question.
> 
> Do ships still have any preference or requirement to dock with their port side toward the dock, even though the original need for that is gone? (The starboard side no longer bearing the steering apparatus.)

Most of the ferries in Stockholm harbour seem to have their starboard side towards the dock and one changes sides from time to time.

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