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fuksheet - n., (obs.) a foresail.
We're not exactly sure which sheet aka sail on the foremast, also called fukmast in the 16th century, but this was one of then -- possibly a jib rather than a squaresail, since the fuk- part means something like foremost. Origin unknown but "from Old Norse" is as good a guess as any. The terms foresail/foresheet had pretty much replaced fuksheet by the 18th century, and if I'm reading the tea-leaves correctly, fuksheet was already growing uncommon among sailors in the 17th. I doubt it was because it sounds too similar to a word spelled with a medial -c-, giving sailors are not known for their aversion to cussing.
And that wraps a week of words that aren't actually dirty, though they sound like it. Back next week with ye regular olde assortment of randoms.
---L.
We're not exactly sure which sheet aka sail on the foremast, also called fukmast in the 16th century, but this was one of then -- possibly a jib rather than a squaresail, since the fuk- part means something like foremost. Origin unknown but "from Old Norse" is as good a guess as any. The terms foresail/foresheet had pretty much replaced fuksheet by the 18th century, and if I'm reading the tea-leaves correctly, fuksheet was already growing uncommon among sailors in the 17th. I doubt it was because it sounds too similar to a word spelled with a medial -c-, giving sailors are not known for their aversion to cussing.
And that wraps a week of words that aren't actually dirty, though they sound like it. Back next week with ye regular olde assortment of randoms.
---L.
