> Yes, I HAVE Been Reading Patrick O’Brian, Why Do You Ask?
There’s a major argument in the offing. I’ve been at loggerheads with a guy who claims that the navies of the 18th and 19th centuries are the source for many terms in common use today, and I really need to take the wind out of his sails. We were just hanging out, skylarking, when he suggested it. At first I was taken aback: he should have known when he brought it up that there would be the devil to pay, since, by and large, I know about this stuff. You can tell by the cut of his jib that this is a guy who just likes showing aw…
There’s a major argument in the offing. I’ve been at loggerheads with a guy who claims that the navies of the 18th and 19th centuries are the source for many terms in common use today, and I really need to take the wind out of his sails. We were just hanging out, skylarking, when he suggested it. At first I was taken aback: he should have known when he brought it up that there would be the devil to pay, since, by and large, I know about this stuff. You can tell by the cut of his jib that this is a guy who just likes showing aw…