Warren's post about a quote from Mark Twain stirred curiosity.
Here is one of my favorites, alas author unknown (Can someone help me?)
A Bone in Her Teeth
Dick
Favorite Old Quotes
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tartansailor
- Posts: 1526
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Favorite Old Quotes
Viam Inveniam Aut Faciam
A Bone in her Teeth
Sailing on the St. Lawrence has shown me many times what this phrase has meant. There may be other connotations but the one I'm familiar with is the look of a Great Lake Freighter heading your way fully loaded.
When the hull of a container ship or freighter is loaded to her LWL, the front bow protuberance is fully underwater and proceeding at speed. The bow wave is pronounced and from a distance (looking straight at her bow) the ship looks like it has a bone in her jaw, if you can picture what I mean. Hence the term you quoted "Bone in her teeth."
When the hull of a container ship or freighter is loaded to her LWL, the front bow protuberance is fully underwater and proceeding at speed. The bow wave is pronounced and from a distance (looking straight at her bow) the ship looks like it has a bone in her jaw, if you can picture what I mean. Hence the term you quoted "Bone in her teeth."
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Tom in Cambria
- Posts: 120
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- Location: Cape Dory 31
Bone in her teeth
Rather than a quote from some author, I thought this was just a description used by all old time sailors to describe a boat going fast enough to throw up a white bow wake because it looked like a dog with a bone in its mouth.
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Photo Chief
- Posts: 27
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- Location: Bristol 27, cove marinaLittle Creek Amphibious BaseNorfolk, Va
Memories forgotten.
I have never heard the phrase "bone in her teeth" but I am sorry to say I did see it once.
My first enlistment was in the Army and I was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany in 1965. Four of us decided it would be fun to rent paddleboats and paddle across the Neker (sp) river. This of couse was a plausible and rational idea at 17 years old after "several" german beers.
As we departed the rental facility I was thinking that the boats had good speed. Soon we were approaching mid river and a loud ship's whistle soon drew our attention up river to an approaching ship bearing down on us. It was at this moment that we reconsidered and reversed course. We also at this moment revised our initial favorable impression of the speed of a paddleboat. It took several minutes to manuver both padddleboats away from a collision with the ship. Amazing how large a ship and the bone appears when one is afloat in a paddleboat.
The ship had blown her whistle almost constantly and upon reaching shore the rental people were apparently not amused by the Americaners as they were shouting at us in German. Local Germans out for a walk along the river stared and pointed at us. I was glad I could not understand them.
I have not thought of this incident for many decades.
My first enlistment was in the Army and I was stationed in Heidelberg, Germany in 1965. Four of us decided it would be fun to rent paddleboats and paddle across the Neker (sp) river. This of couse was a plausible and rational idea at 17 years old after "several" german beers.
As we departed the rental facility I was thinking that the boats had good speed. Soon we were approaching mid river and a loud ship's whistle soon drew our attention up river to an approaching ship bearing down on us. It was at this moment that we reconsidered and reversed course. We also at this moment revised our initial favorable impression of the speed of a paddleboat. It took several minutes to manuver both padddleboats away from a collision with the ship. Amazing how large a ship and the bone appears when one is afloat in a paddleboat.
The ship had blown her whistle almost constantly and upon reaching shore the rental people were apparently not amused by the Americaners as they were shouting at us in German. Local Germans out for a walk along the river stared and pointed at us. I was glad I could not understand them.
I have not thought of this incident for many decades.
Rich Collins
USN Ret
USN Ret