Trivia Test #3

[JeffL]

Only three questions. Tamaroa and I have excluded ourselves from answering. (I slipped in the 3rd one on you, Bill........)

1. What is the commonly accepted derivation of the term ?starboard,? meaning the right side of vessel?

2. What is the earliest recorded opening date for maritime traffic on the Great Lakes?

3. During the early 20th century a word that signifies upper class, luxurious, and sumptious conditions was coined. What is the word and what was its derivation?

[cstfe]

Here we go again..
Starboard: stbd
Earliest date for Lakes: I think it was Feb 2..
the other one I wont' even try, not being a member of the upper crust and I don't know why I keep trying to answer your quiz's..must love to lose
Esther

[kenmar]

# 3
POSH port out, starboard home

posh was written on the baggage tags or tickets.

Something about it being cooler one side or was it dock side advantage ????

Only know it cause I saw it on a pbs thing about old british liners.

[kenmar]

Jeff,a very long time ago in the Land of Lincoln, I did a short term on river barges. A crabby old deckhand taught me how to remember what Port and Starboard meant. It must be a good way 'cause I still remember it decades later.

Just associate the size of the words.... smallest to smallest, largest to largest.

Left = 4 letters Port = 4 letters

Right = 5 letters Starboard =9 letters

Of course, this assumes all you guys know how to count.

[Drywall]

I think I know no. 1. It comes from the Viking long ships. They had a rudder or "steerboard" on the right side of the ship.

[JeffL]

Esther - you have been truant, and you're late for class. Please take your seat.

Drywall is correct for #1.

1. Viking ships once had a long, straight plank mounted as a ?steerboard,? on the right side of the stern. Over time, ?steerboard? became ?starboard.? Conversely, the side of a vessel opposite the steerboard was next to the dock when in port, because placing the steerboard against the dock or pier could damage it. Thus the other side of a vessel became the ?port? side.

Esther was a little off for #2.

2. 17 March 1948 - Icebreaker MACKINAW and Cutter ACACIA open passage through ice from Buffalo. Earliest recorded opening date for maritime traffic on Great Lakes.

Ken is absolutely correct for #3. I also do not know the reason.

[Tamaroa]

POSH

From Saleel Nair: "What is the origin of the word posh?"

There are several suggestions for the origin of posh. The best known derives it from an acronym associated with the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company. It supposedly stood for "Port Out, Starboard Home". The Company is said to have marked the tickets of higher status passengers with this so that they were put in cabins on the side of the ship that got the benefit of the cooling sea breezes on the outward and return journeys from Britain to India.
The trouble is there's absolutely no evidence for it and P&O flatly denies any such term existed. It's just an urban legend, though rather a persistent one. Other suggestions, rather more probable, are that it is an abbreviated form of polished or polish (an example of what's called grammatical syncopation, where a middle syllable has been left out), or that posh originally meant "halfpenny" (from the Romany posh "half") and then developed into "money" before acquiring its present meaning. Or it may come from the slang pot ("big", hence a person of some importance).

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Bill

[Viking1]

This POSH issue was a question on Jeopardy earlier this week and Kenmar would of gotten the $'s............

Bob

[Wazza]

I remember the colours of the navigation lights

Port light is red because port wine is red.

Starboard is green. Well who cares as long as we have the port

No isn't that right? No it's left. More port please.

[JeffL]

If ya drink too much port ya might get a little green........