LABOUR
TO LABOUR
A ship is said to labour when she pitches and rolls heavily in rough weather.

LADY
THE LADY OF THE GUNROOM
The name given to the man (originally the Gunner's night watchman in the gun
room, who also kept the gun room tidy) who assisted the gun room steward as
pantry-hand. In early days, the lady's storeroom was beneath the gun room,
and was known as the "Lady's ...".


LAGOON
An area of water enclosed, or nearly enclosed, by a reef or atoll.


LARGE
BY AND LARGE
A nautical expression, now in common use, meaning "Broadly speaking".
Nautically it means to sail a boat by the wind (i.e. to weather), but large
(i.e., not very close to the wind).


LASH
LASH UP
(1) Verb .. naval slang for to stand treat - from the old expression of
friendship by lashing up a friend's hammock for him.
(2) Adjective .. naval slang applied to something extemporised.


LAUNCH
LAUNCHING CEREMONY
The breaking of a bottle of wine on the bows of a warship during the
launching ceremony has not always been the custom. Before 1690 the ship's
health was drunk from a silver cup which, after use, was thrown into the sea.
After that date this custom was discontinued, as a measure of economy, and
that of the present day introduced. Until 1811 the launching ceremony was
always performed by a royal personage or a dockyard commissioner, but in that
year the Prince Regent suggested that a lady should have the honour - a
custom that remains to this day. The custom of securing the bottle of wine to
a lanyard is said to have originated because of an accident in which a lady
performing the launching ceremony threw the bottle at the bow of the ship,
but, missing, hit a spectator, who received serious injury and sued the
Admiralty for damages. It has been suggested that the practice of splashing a
new ship's bows with wine is a relic of the splashing with blood arising from
the old Norse practice of launching a ship over the bodies of sacrificial
victims (Cf. I Kings XVI, 34).


LEAD
RED LEAD
A sailors' slang name for tinned tomatoes.


LEAD LINE MARKINGS
These are of great antiquity, in practically the same form as today for over
300 years:
2 fm 2 leather 13 fm blue serge
3 fm 3 leather 15 fm white duck
5 fm white duck 17 fm red bunting
7 fm red bunting 20 fm 2 knots
10fm leather with hole


LEAF
The traditional sailor's pronunciation of the word LEAVE: the Army ward
Furlong is never used in the Navy.


LEAGUE
An obsolete measurement of three nautical miles.


LEATHER
LEATHERNECK
Another naval slang name for a Marine; it is derived from the small piece of
leather sewn in the collar of the Marines' dress tunic. A synonym is
"Bootneck".


LEE
TO GET TO LEEWAY OF
To get on the wrong side of someone.


LEG
SHOW A LEG
In the days when women used to be allowed to sleep on board they were allowed
to lie in and the call "Show a leg" was made to see that it really was a
woman who was enjoying the privilege.


The old cry was "Show a leg or else a purser's stocking".


LETTER
KING'S LETTER BOYS
The earliest form of naval cadet, lasting from 1676 to 1731, these lads (less
than 16 years of age) were sent to sea bearing a letter from the King who
made himself responsible for their pay (-24 per year). Their official name
was Volunteers; they were rated Midshipman after a few years at sea. The last
King's Letter Boy was George Brydges Rodney who went to sea in 1731. The
Naval Academy at Portsmouth was opened in the summer of 1733 because the old
system of King's Letter Boys was not enabling the lads to learn their
profession.


LIEUTENANT
The first reference to a naval Lieutenant is in 1580 when one was born in
each ship as the Captain's understudy.

The word is pronounced L'TENANT in the Royal Navy, LEFTENANT in the Army, and
LOOTERNANT in the U.S. Navy.

LIEUTENANT OF THE ADMIRALTY
The Lieutenant of the Admiralty (or Lieutenant-Admiral) is first found in
about the middle of the XIV century, as the Deputy or Assistant to the Lord
High Admiral. In 1546, when the Navy Board was created, the Lieutenant of the
Admiralty was appointed as its Head, but this ceased in 1564 when the
Treasurer of the Navy became the Head of the Board. The post was revived in
1604 when it appears to have been given as a mark of honourable distinction -
with a salary of -100p.a., two clerks and certain travelling expenses. In
1672 the post of Lieutenant of the Admiralty was merged into that of Vice-
Admiral of England (of the United Kingdom after 1801).


SUB-LIEUTENANT
Not in use during our time period, being a rank introduced in May, 1861, to
supersede that of Mate for Midshipmen passed for Lieutenant. But in December,
1804, an Order in Council authorised it as a post title for the second in
command of all Brigs commanded by a Lieutenant.


LIGAN
Sunken cargo or gear which has been thrown overboard and buoyed. It remains
the property of the owners: if not claimed it becomes the property of the
Crown.


LIGHT
ADMIRALS' STERN LIGHTS
All-round lanterns mounted in the poop or after part of the flag-ship to
indicate the presence on board of an Admiral. Flagship of a Rear-Admiral
shews 1 light; of a Vice-Admiral 2 lights; of an Admiral an Admiral of the
Fleet, or the Monarch, 3 lights.


NORTHERN LIGHTS
The Aurora Boralis.


SOUTHERN LIGHTS
The Aurora Australia.


STARBOARD LIGHT
Ward room slang name for Creme de Methe.


LIGHTSHIP
LIGHTSHIPS
The first light vessel to be established in England was placed at the Nore at
the entrance to the Thames, in 1732.


LIME
LIMEY
The American slang name for a British sailor - from the lime juice ordered by
the British Merchant Shipping Act to be issued to the crews of British ships
as an anti-scorbutic.


LINE
CROSSING THE LINE
The LINE is the equator and the traditional ceremonies are almost always
performed when one of H.M. ships crosses the line. King Neptune, his Queen
(Amphitrite) and Court "come on board" and, after sundry speeches, officiate
at the canvas swimming bath. All who have not previously crossed the line are
lathered, shaved, dosed with a pill and then precipitated into the bath,
there to be ducked by the 'bears'. This is perhaps a relic of some age-old
semi-religious ceremony. Those who have crossed the line and participated in
the ceremonies are invariably awarded a "Crossing the line certificate",
worded something like this - "Whereas by Our Imperial Condescension we give
this as a Royal Patent under our sign manual to certify that the under-
mentioned person has this day visited Our Royal Domains on board Her
Majesty's Cruiser So-and-so and has received the ancient requisite initiation
and form necessary to become one of Our Loyal Subjects, We recommend all
sharks, dolphins, whales, eels, etc., under Our Command, to abstain from
eating, playing with, or otherwise maltreating him. And we further direct all
sailors, soldiers, marines, globetrotters, etc., who have not crossed Our
Royal Domains to treat him with that respect due to one who has visited us.
Given at Our Court on the Equator in Longitude so-and-so this blank day of
blank."


LION
LION'S NECK
Ginger ale laced with rum.


LOGGERHEADS
TO BE AT LOGGERHEADS
To be at loggerheads is to be bad friends even if not actively quarrelling.
The expression comes from the instrument used for heating pitch for paying
the seams of a ship's decks - two large iron spheres one at each end of an
iron bar. One of the spheres was heated and then put in the pitch bucket to
melt the pitch. Thus the two loggerheads were always apart, and, also, a hot
loggerhead was a thing to keep away from.


LONG-HAIRED CHUM
A sailors' name for a girl-friend.


A LONG SHIP
An officers' slang expression applied to a lengthy interval between drinks or
to slowness in showing hospitality.


LONG TOM
A paint brush lashed to the end of a long pole, used for painting places
difficult of access.


LOOKSTICK
A slang name for a Telescope; a synonym sometimes heard is a "Bring 'em
near".


LOSING

LOSING THE NUMBER OF YOUR MESS
An old naval expression meaning to die.


LOT
LOT'S WIFE
Sailors' slang name for table-salt (from Genesis XIX.26).


LUBBER
LUBBER'S HOLE
The opening or hatchway in the deck of the tops on sailing ships' masts,
provided as a means of access to the tops for those 'lubbers' afraid to climb
up via the futtock-shrouds.


LUBBER'S LINE
The mark on the binnacle which is brought to meet the desired point on the
compass-card. So called because a 'real' seaman can do without it.


LURK
TO LURK
Originally, to 'lurk' someone was to impose on his kindness to do something
for you. Nowadays the word is merely a naval synonym for to 'detail' someone
for a job, though it implies that the job is one for which no volunteers are
forthcoming.


LURK BOOK
A record kept in some wardrooms of official parties, etc., and the officers
who have attended them; kept with the basic idea of apportioning unwelcome
duties fairly.