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Past Times shops have several books for sale on the origins of sayings, many of which are old. A heck of a lot go back to old Navy days. The saying 'no room to swing a cat in here' referred to naughty sailors being lashed by the cat o'nine tails - nine thongs of knotted rope. There was no room below deck in which to swing the 'cat' to get a good lash on the sailor's back, so they were taken on deck, and tied frontwards to a mast. There was plenty of room to get the requisite swing of the lash on deck.

The word 'posh' refers to the preferred cabin for the Britain to India sea voyage and return: 'Port Out - Starboard Home' to avoid the heat of the sun all day in one's cabin. The cabins were at a premium, so those managing to obtain these expensive rooms were 'posh' people.

<blockquote data-quote="krizon" data-source="post: 2114409" data-attributes="member: 64950">Past Times shops have several books for sale on the origins of sayings, many of which are old.&nbsp; A heck of a lot go back to old Navy days.&nbsp; The saying &#039;no room to swing a cat in here&#039; referred to naughty sailors being lashed by the cat o&#039;nine tails - nine thongs of knotted rope.&nbsp; There was no room below deck in which to swing the &#039;cat&#039; to get a good lash on the sailor&#039;s back, so they were taken on deck, and tied frontwards to a mast.&nbsp; There was plenty of room to get the requisite swing of the lash on deck.The word &#039;posh&#039; refers to the preferred cabin for the Britain to India sea voyage and return:&nbsp; &#039;Port Out - Starboard Home&#039; to avoid the heat of the sun all day in one&#039;s cabin.&nbsp; The cabins were at a premium, so those managing to obtain these expensive rooms were &#039;posh&#039; people.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="krizon, post: 2114409, member: 64950"] Past Times shops have several books for sale on the origins of sayings, many of which are old. A heck of a lot go back to old Navy days. The saying 'no room to swing a cat in here' referred to naughty sailors being lashed by the cat o'nine tails - nine thongs of knotted rope. There was no room below deck in which to swing the 'cat' to get a good lash on the sailor's back, so they were taken on deck, and tied frontwards to a mast. There was plenty of room to get the requisite swing of the lash on deck. The word 'posh' refers to the preferred cabin for the Britain to India sea voyage and return: 'Port Out - Starboard Home' to avoid the heat of the sun all day in one's cabin. The cabins were at a premium, so those managing to obtain these expensive rooms were 'posh' people. [/QUOTE]

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