By D. Michael Ryan, company historian with the Concord and Lincoln Minute Men, an 18th Century volunteer history interpreter with the National Park Service and associate Dean of students at Boston College.
While Concord became the first Massachusetts Bay village settled above tidewater (away from the coast), its people brought with them -- and in subsequent years added -- terms steeped in seafaring and maritime tradition. Many of these phrases, heard along the roads and byways of town as well as at the Boston waterfront, experienced degrees of change in meaning through the years with some becoming part of our modern lexicon.
Having enough "room to swing a cat" means insuring plenty of space, not the abuse of Tabby. In eighteenth century navies, punishment in the form of lashes was given with a cat-o'-nine tails whip and accomplished in an area which provided space to swing the instrument. To avoid such infliction of pain, one would "steer clear" of trouble in the same manner a ship would be guided away from peril. Often one's friends would provide support to help an individual through a trying time -- "tide him over" -- in the same way ocean tides might lift a ship from the dangers of a reef, shoal or sandbar. In each of these dilemmas, a person's enjoyment of life might be hampered, slowed down or stopped, thus "taking the wind out of his sail." In a similar way, one colonial ship could sail windward of another capturing the breeze for itself while taking the wind from and impeding the progress of its counterpart.
As in the 21st Century, obtaining a skill, trade and steady work were key to success in colonial Concord. Such could insure three "square meals" per day, a term coming from the fact that shipboard food often rolled off a regular flat plate and hence a wooden, square object was necessary to keep vittles on the table not the deck. Often in the 1700s, a farmer, tradesman or laborer barely managed to "make ends meet", meaning to meet financial needs but originally related to splicing together the ends of ropes to extend the cordage life and save costs on a ship.
To escape the trials and tribulations of daily life, many a hard working man might imbibe of spirits or ales -- often to the extreme -- losing self-control or becoming "three sheets to the wind." At sea, the term referred to the rope or chain (sheet) fastened to a sail's corner and used for control purposes. If one should break or loosen, causing the sail to flap in the wind, the vessel would run out of control. Losing three sheets was a major disaster often leading to the ship being put "out of commission," unable to function without rest and repair, having its operational orders temporarily removed, much like a laboring man who might miss work.
 Often, an individual working on a team or joint venture might be found wanting in attitude, cooperation, skill or desire and based on verbal and physical behavior could be deemed out of control, dangerous, unpredictable or "a loose cannon." On naval ships during combat or a storm, a cannon breaking from its moorings and rolling around deck most likely caused damage to people and property. Whether with a person or equipment, once control was regained and the difficulty addressed and corrected, a "clean bill of health" could be issued, confirming the lack of a fault or problem. The term recalls an earlier time when a ship's master was required to produce a medical document (bill) attesting that passengers, crew and cargo were free of disease before being allowed ashore in port.
If the colonial person or his modern counterpart continued wayward ways or abusive behavior and violated promises to reform, he might be seen as "showing his true colors" or revealing his real self. The concept comes from ships that would fly a false flag (color) in order to mislead an enemy vessel into a trap only at the last minute raising/displaying its actual symbol of identity. Considered a violation of maritime codes, such actions went "by the boards" or fell out of usage and were discarded. At sea, a person going over the ship's boards or sides, falling overboard, would be gone for good.
 However, in any era, a lost soul could eventually "gain his/her bearings," coming to reason and as with a disoriented ship, returning to a proper direction and course (bearing) arriving at the voyage's planned destination. Life then might become (not unlike a floor, clothing or vehicle) "spick and span" -- clean or like new. In the 1500s, when both nails/spikes (spicks) and their span (wooden ship) looked like (due to repair) or were actually new, the vessel was spick and span.
Now some may believe this piece has but "spun a yarn" (told a story, long and drawn out or fanciful), from the eighteenth century concept of making (spinning) yarn from fiber (a long process). The word yarn also meant "a tale." But if these words are untrue and you discover such, then the "cat is out of the bag" or the secret divulged. The phrase derives from the old market scam of selling a worthless cat inside a bag as an expensive pig and having the buyer open the parcel later only to find the truth. Even in colonial times, the outwitted purchaser might be called derogatory names such as "blockhead" (solid wood form used to shape/store a wig), "idiot" (1377), "dolt" (1543), "dummy" (1598) or "numskulls" (1724).
As has been the case throughout history, one should always use caution in believing all that is in print. For example, contrary to popular belief, "sleep tight" does not come from the tightening of colonial rope beds prior to retiring for the night. In fact, during the 18th Century, the word "tight" meant soundly, well, snuggly or close (recall "sit tight" or the words of the Good Witch in the "Wizard of Oz" to Dorothy "keep tight the ruby slippers").
Hence, accept with care all that you read but do not automatically exclaim "oh, fudge" (18th Century for nonsense) to idioms. For this is not just another "cock and bull" story (Banbury Story of a cock and a bull; roundabout, nonsensical, no beginning or end). No author would wish his/her "name to be mud" (colonial word mud being slang for "fool", later "worthless") and thus do not "rack your brain" (1500s rack was a torture device to stretch the body, cause pain and obtain truth) looking for fact or fiction in this work. Just enjoy!
 
 
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