People of various professions have their own special rituals, beliefs and even unusual wishes and parting words. Some of these statements turn into steady momentum over time. For example, "seven feet under the keel." What does this mean, we will consider in this article. We will also find out who invented this expression and what it is used for.
Seven Feet Under the Keel: The Meaning of Phraseology
In the explanatory dictionary of Sergei Ivanovich Ozhegov, you can find the definition of the expression in question. It noted that the phrase "seven feet under the keel" means the wish for a safe voyage in the navy.
It turns out that the expression refers to sailors. It is a parting word, a blessing to sail without unpleasant surprises.
How did it come about?
The origin of the expression
Let's look at the composition of the phraseology “seven feet under the keel”. We turn again to the explanatory dictionary Ozhegova. It indicates that the foot is an English and old Russian measure of length, which is 30.48 cm. And the keel is a longitudinal beam that runs along the entire length of the vessel in the middle of its bottom.
Previously, many sails were unpretentious. They had no more than two matches. Because of this, in the headwind, such ships were forced to anchor and wait for the wind to be fair. This state of affairs forced to keep ships off the coast. The open sea was dangerous for these fragile ships. But due to the fact that the ships were near the coast, they could run aground. Coastal cliffs were dangerous for them, about which they could break. In general, the danger was all around.
In those days, the draft of the ships was no more than 2 meters. Feeders who steered the ship tried to keep at least 7 feet under the keel. This was enough not to hit the ground even under the most severe load. And 7 feet - this is about 2 meters.
So there was a wish expression for the navy. After all, these 7 feet played an important role in the life of the entire crew.
Synonyms
In addition to “seven feet under the keel”, among the wishes of sailors embarking on a long voyage, the phrase “tailwind” is found. This expression can be called synonymous with the phraseological unit we are considering. It also represents the wish for a safe swim.
Also synonyms include such words and their combinations as “good luck”, “easy road”, “bon voyage”, etc.
Use
To wish a sailor “seven feet under a keel” is to wish to sail to the designated destination without danger. And there are a lot of them at sea: storms, rolling, shallows, reefs and more.
This expression is actively used as parting words to sailors. If initially the wish was that the ship did not go aground, then over time it meant a safe sailing in general.
This phraseological unit is also found in fiction. In the works telling about life on the sea and sailors.
The expression is often used in the media. Sailing bloggers also apply this steady flow of articles to their favorite topics.
This phraseologism is found in various headings, titles of games, exhibitions, etc. It is often used when it comes to life on board a ship, sailing, the navy, and even pirates.
However, such a desire is sometimes used for expressive speech when they simply wish a happy journey. Even if this road is completely unconnected with the sea, sailing on a ship. This pun is typical for journalists. They are so fond of attracting the attention of readers, viewers and listeners by the expressive means of the language, in particular phraseological units.
Now, knowing the meaning of the considered expression, we can safely wish the sailors 7 feet under the keel and no less!