Dearest Squad,
I have no idea how to introduce this chapter.
So instead, I will give you a completely fun fact about me that I bet you never knew: I have always been fascinated by just how many words and phrases in common vernacular (US and UK specifically, though I’m learning that Korean has a few as well) are nautical in origin.
Here are a few:
• Above board
• Three sheets to the wind
• Clean bill of health
• being “pooped”
• from stem to stern
• fathom
• knowing the ropes
My personal favorite phrase of all is “by and large.” Did you know that came from sailing? Yup, it’s all about the wind. “Large” refers to wind that comes from behind (sailing is easier). “By” is sailing “into the wind” (harder). So “by and large” could be translated to mean overall, a mix of both easy and hard things.
Several times during the writing of this novel, I went down rabbit-holes on websites that listed a bunch of these…and, of course, made sure to use them wherever I could! This would be the most obvious language of pirates, would’t it?
If I did it well, you shouldn’t even notice them.
But don’t ask me how many, because I didn’t keep count. More than ten, for sure!
xox
Princess Alethea
✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨🖤✨
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