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“Head” in a nautical sense referring to the bow or fore part of a ship dates to 1485. The ship’s toilet was typically placed at the head of the ship near the base of the bowsprit, where splashing water served to naturally clean the toilet area.
Why do the Americans call the toilet the head?
Since the wind was blowing from the rear to the front, the “head” (or front) of the ship was the best place for sailors to relieve themselves. So, when the shipmates went to the toilet, they went to the head.
Why do they call them the heads?
But more than likely, the term actually found its seeds in slang that originated in 1913. This year marked the first documentation of someone pairing the name of a drug with the word “head” to denote a subject as an addict.
Does head mean toilet?
heads) is a ship’s toilet. The name derives from sailing ships in which the toilet area for the regular sailors was placed at the head or bow of the ship.
Why is it called the poop deck?
We quote verbatim: “The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis. Thus the poop deck is technically a stern deck, which in sailing ships was usually elevated as the roof of the stern or “after” cabin, also known as the “poop cabin”.
Did sailors poop off the poop deck?
Sailors didn’t poop off the poop deck. The deck’s purpose was for navigational and observation purposes and there were other locations for the sailors to use as toilets.
How did sailors poop on ships?
They would climb down into the heads directly under the Bow Sprit and either poo through the gratings or nets. Larger ships had “seats of ease” – toilets in the same place. OK on a fine calm day but very dangerous in a storm.
What does smitten mean?
Definition of smitten 1 : deeply affected with or struck by strong feelings of attraction, affection, or infatuation Trillin leaves no doubt he was smitten with his wife, as were others.— Peter Stevenson Tatiana is smitten with Onegin and declares her love in a letter to him.—.
Is it rude to say heads up?
‘Heads up! ‘ Is used as an imperative verbal phrase, meaning something like ‘Watch out! ‘ ‘Just a heads-up: I heard the new client is extremely rude.
What does heads Up mean in slang?
What does heads-up mean? As an exclamation, Heads up! is used to call attention to danger or another important matter.
How did Vikings use the bathroom?
Interesting enough, according to the BBC Primary History site, there were no bathrooms in the Viking home. Most people probably washed in a wooden bucket or the nearest stream. Instead of toilets, people used cesspits, which are holes dug outside for toilet waste. They built a fence around the cesspit.
How did sailors wipe?
Sailors in the Age of Sail used tow-rags. After using the head, the sailor could then clean his backside with the wet rag then drop the rope back over the side. The rag would then be cleaned either by being literally towed by the ship under sail or to be washed by the action of wave and current if at anchor.
Where did sailors poop?
In most ships there would be a place at the bow ( front end ) of the ship called the head. This was a hole in the floor to squat over. Faeces would fall directly into the sea below. There were usually two holes one on either side of the bowsprit.
What is a poop knife?
Soooo last week, Reddit user LearnedButt shared a story that introduced me to the concept of a poop knife. A knife for poop. If anyone has laid a mega-poop, you know that sometimes it won’t flush. It lays across the hole in the bottom of the bowl and the vortex of draining water merely gives it a spin as it mocks you.
Why is it called a quarterdeck?
The name derives from the great men o’ war; the quarterdeck was a raised section of the upper deck at the after end, where the helm position was. By extension, on flush-decked ships the after part of the main deck, where the officers took their station, was also known as the quarterdeck.
What is a forecastle on a ship?
The fo’c’s’le or forecastle is the forward deck of the ship. It derives its name from sailing ship days when the raised forward deck was known as the forecastle. This was typically a raised, castle like structure where archers first could engage enemy ships. The anchoring gear or ground tackle may be seen here.
How did pirates bathe?
Pirates Had No Option But to Bathe With Seawater But bathing didn’t involve freshwater; that was saved for cooking. When it came time for pirates to clean themselves, they most likely jumped into the ocean. Despite the abundance of seawater, bathing wasn’t a common occurrence amongst the pirates.
Did the Titanic have flushing toilets?
Cleaning toilets was also light work as there were few private bathrooms on the Titanic. In those days, most passengers and crewmembers used the public restroom facilities, which on third-class, included automatic flushing toilets.
How did pirates wipe their butts?
They would take a scrap of wood, usually pine or oak, whittle it down to an oval that would just fit between their ass cheeks. They would use the stick to clean themselves. They were tough and when a splinter stuck in their ass, they just pulled it out and used it later as a tooth pick.
