I ? sir

Hi,

I've seen a movie about ships and battles on the sea of the 19th century. When a sailor received an order from the captain they said something like: I ? sir. What's the full expression?

'Aye' is an archaic word meaning 'Yes'. Sailors still say 'Aye, sir', although the traditional sai

The word you hear is spelt 'aye'. It functions as a variation of 'yes'. Your dictionary should have it.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Aye_Aye,_Sir

Now, all together: What shall we do with a drunken sailo

My favorite verse is "Put him in the rack with the captain's daughter."

Nice transition, Mr. Patrick.

Hi,

My favorite verse is "Put him in the rack with the captain's daughter."

As often is the case with these old songs and rhymes, there may be an alternative meaning to this.

Consider that there's a common old-time sailing-ship term 'to hug/kiss the gunner’s daughter'. The gunner's daughter was in fact a cannon. A sailor was tied acros

Oh yes, I know about that one too. But I think that the propsect of the captain finding the drunken sailor in the rack with his daughter will have its own complications for the guy!

Clive, you're talking to a former officer in the U.S. Navy

I was talking to someone who'd served on submarines until the 60s and was astonished to hear that they were still getting the daily naval rum ration then! I wonder if they still get it...

The American Navy is "dry," so it was quite a bit of fun to hang out with the Canadian Navy, where you can have a drink in the wardroom (officer's dining area) with LUNCH! They were most excellent hosts!