Talk of cats and monkeys

Press, 14 April 1984, Page 20

Talk of cats and monkeys

Salty Dog Talk. By Bill Beavis and Richard McCloakey. Collins, 1983. 96 pp. $7.95. A surprising number of everyday sayings have a nautical derivation. And in many instances the derivation is equally surprising. For instance, there is a simple explanation for the dreadful fate which threatens brass monkeys in cold climates: It has to do with the different contraction rate of iron cannon shot and the brass trays on which they were stored. This is a slim book crammed with

fascinating reading and the temptation to quote is strong. One more example must suffice. If you think the room is too small to swing a cat in, you are not thinking of a domestic pet, but of a cat o’nine tails, the instrument used to flog unruly or insubordinate sailors. While awaiting punishment they were often made to manufacture the cat: hence they made a rod for their own backs. At $7.95 this little book is a gem. The advice to landlubbers and sailors alike is, buy it. You’ll never regret it.—Ted Glasgow. -