Breverton's Nautical Curiosities

Author(s): Terry Breverton

Nautical

Breverton's Nautical Curiosities is about ships, people and the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright extraordinary. Thus, someone most of us do not know, Admiral William Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the Monitor, the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War. Readers will be stimulated to read more about the remarkable men explorers, admirals and trawlermen who have shaped our world. The sea has had a remarkable effect upon our language. We hear the terms steer clear of', hit the deck', don't rock the boat', to harbour a grudge' and the like, and give little thought to them. In the pages of this book, the reader will find the origin of 'bumpkin', a 'brace of shakes', 'born with a silver spoon', 'booby prize', 'to take on board', 'above board', 'bombed' (in the sense of being drunk), the 'blues', 'blind-side', 'blind drunk', 'the pot calling the kettle black', 'reach the bitter end', 'wasters', 'ahoy', 'all at sea', 'to keep aloof', 'piss-artist', 'taken aback', 'barbecue" and 'bamboozle'. Other colourful terms, which have passed out of common usage, such as 'bring one's arse to anchor' (sit down), 'belly timber' (food) and 'bog orange' (potato) are also included, as well as important pirate haunts, technical terms, famous battles, maritime inventors and ship speed records.

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Terry Breverton is a former businessman, consultant and academic and now a full-time writer. He is the author of numerous books on the sea and pirates, and has been awarded the Welsh Books Council 'Book of the Month' award five times. Terry has presented documentaries on the Discovery Channel and the History Channel and appeared on around 20 other television programmes on pirates and privateers. He has recently transcribed and annotated the lost manuscript of a Welsh privateer the factional account of the marooning of William Williams The Journal of Penrose Seaman.

Introduction. An A-Z of Sea Slang. Sea Conditions and Weather: Wind and rain; Skies and sea; Under the weather. Life at Sea: The parts of a ship; Types of ship and boat; Ships of special significance; Who did what and who does what at sea?; Clothing at sea; Marine entertainments; Illness and injury at sea; Food at sea; Drink and the mariner; Punishment at sea; Slaves and slavery. Death at Sea: Sea battles, wars and landings; Maritime attacking tactics; Maritime weapons; Famous warships; Mutiny!; Tragedies at sea and on rivers; The Merchant Navy. Heroes, Heroines, Sea People and Navigation: Sea heroes; Other interesting sea people; Navigators, navigation, explorers and maps. Villains of the Seas: The world of pirates and buccaneers; Famous pirates and pirate commanders; Pirate haunts and targets; Something about treasure. Islands, Ports, Harbours and Capes: Islands; Ports, harbours, bays and capes. Animals of the Sea: Interesting things that live in the sea; Apex predators; Sea mammals of interest; Whaling; Birds of the seas; Fish; Molluscs and invertebrates; Other marine wonders. The Ocean Environment: Seas and oceans, races and records; Are we doomed?; Environmental issues; Sea structures; Sea fishing. References. Index.

General Fields

  • : 9781847247766
  • : Quercus Publishing Plc
  • : Quercus Publishing Plc
  • : 0.673
  • : June 2010
  • : 210mm X 134mm
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Terry Breverton
  • : Hardback
  • : Hardback
  • : 1
  • : 1
  • : English
  • : English
  • : 909
  • : 909
  • : 384
  • : 384
  • : 100 b&w illus
  • : 100 b&w illus