Some boozy nautical terms

Quite a few of our everyday phrases have their origin in Naval usage (apart from those with which we have Will Shakes to thank for) I thought it may be fun to have a look at some of them:

Three sheets to the wind

Picture from www.ecogreece.com

In boating terminology 'sheet's does not as you may think refer to sails, but to ropes (or occasionally chains) which are used to hold the sails in place, if the ropes become loose and are blowing about in the wind this will cause the sails to flap and consequently the boat will lurch about on the sea like a drunken sailor.
(From www.phrases.org)

One over the eight

Picture from The Sun

 

An easy one, apparently it was thought that the average man could drink a gallon, being eight pints of beer without consequences, one pint more and he was One over the Eight - Three Sheets to the wind !
8 pints seems highly improbable to me !
(From www.phrases.org)

Splice the main brace

Picture from The Guardian

To fix (splice) the main brace of a sail which had broken - usually caused by bad weather, was a very hard and dangerous job for the sailors, some of the ropes (sheets!) could be up to 5inches in diameter in this situation it became typical to reward the sailor with an extra ration of grog (after the repairs had been completed !)  So having a drink becomes 'splicing the main brace'
(I couldn't find a picture of an old ship in bad weather having it's sails mended but I'm sure you get the idea)

(From Wiki Answers)

 

The sun is over the yardarm

Picture from www.docfutre.com

This one will give a meaning to another of our everyday words (well for us oldies anyway!) Yard is an old German word for pointed stick and is where we get the word for something that measures 3feet.
On a sailing boat yardarms refer to timbers/spars mounted on the masts, at certain times of the year from the deck it will seem that the sun is so high in the sky that it is above the topmost yardarm thus suggesting that we are into the afternoon which by custom was the time for the first rum of the day, therefore if  asking the question "can I have a drink yet?" after mid day, the answer would be "yes, the sun is over the yardarm"
(From The Urban Dictionary)

I'm sure that any Naval (ex Naval personnel will correct me - yes Roy I mean you !