Life aboard is full of terminology that can confuse even the experienced. There is a guide to Naval slang and jargon on the internet that runs seventy-nine pages; it does not cover everything. As ships and technology evolve, new “sailor speak” evolves too.
Almost with each spring tide, sailor speak grows and makes it easy to play a favorite game with newcomers. Sometimes called a “snipe chase.”
The larger the ship or yard, the more involved this can be. The greenie cannot know for sure that they are being had – especially if the person sending them on the hunt acts with confidence. No snickering here, please! Let see: being sent to the engine room for a bucket of condensed water; a trip to the cooks for thirty feet of chowline, and my personal, memorable hunt for a left-handed wind shifter.
One slight problem can pop up right after a snipe hunt. A sort of sullen ” oh, yea? is this another idiot search?” when you get told to go jettison something – an actual term to discard overboard.
Well enough for now. Next time, we’ll discuss the difference between jetsam and flotsam – if you didn’t know the difference.
There was a comedy here where, on work placement, they sent him out for tartan paint. And spirit-level bubbles.
Those are new to me. Must be the influence of the Royal Navy…which is where we got it all from orginally.
Wow… 79 pages?!? That is quite something. I can see why after your post.