ship names

[gfish]

For some reason, I have always wondered what I would name a sailing ship. It just seemed like I should have a name ready, just in case. Reading The Command of the Ocean: A Naval History of Britain, 1649 - 1815, I think I have finally found the proper name.

In the 17th century, Britain fought a series of naval wars against the Dutch. Not much came out of any of them, mostly because the Dutch weren't very organized and the British were pretty dumb about naval strategy. The Dutch were odd critters back then, motivated by commerce, led by a weak central republican government and boasting a very tolerant policy towards religion and a very modern banking system. (Which is why they were so successful, of course.) The British and the French tended to look down on them, and always assumed that, in the next war, the cowardly Dutch merchants would be crushed by their gallant gentlemen warriors.

In response to this ridiculous snobbery, in the Third Dutch War at least 3 Dutch privateers were named 'Getergde Kaasboer'.

The Provoked Cheesemonger.

Comments

[grinninfoole.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I have only heard the word 'boer' used to mean farmer. I didn't know it could mean vendor, too.

[kamiilyaan.livejournal.com]

A very literal translation would be indeed "cheese farmer" but "cheese merchant" works as well. Cheese farmer sounds funny to Kees, after all, how do you farm cheese? But the farmer who made cheese also sold it at market.

I rather like "The Provoked Cheese Farmer" myself...

[grinninfoole.livejournal.com]

Presumably, you farm cheese the same way you farm any other dairy product: heard cows, collect their milk, and then process it.

[kamiilyaan.livejournal.com]

That was just Kees musing over the definition. For him, kaasboer automatically has both meanings; it's while explaining to me, his american girlfriend, that he stops and really thinks about the literal translations. When he thinks of farming, the english word, he sees a farmer growing and harvesting corn, grain... So 'farming cheese' is a really weird image.

I love the history lessons I receive when I ask him qustions like this;)

[grinninfoole.livejournal.com]

Give Archer Daniels Midland ten years, and it will start to seem ordinary.

[gfish.livejournal.com]

I was hoping you might have some input on this post. :)

[mholmesiv.livejournal.com]

My dual translating mind's afrikaans section automatically saw it as "Person who makes cheese". That may be because in South Africa, the word Boer was expanded to mean, essentially, "dutch person". The english side of my brain read it as "cheese farmer" because it does a more literal translation.

I was watching Millionaire a few years back, and the question was "What famous ghost ship was named "die vliegende hollander"?". The automatic translation units I had installed at school kicked in and I didn't even notice he had named it in dutch. The person sat there looking unsure and I was incredibly confused, since he had given her the answer! It wasn't until my wife looked over and said "That's dutch, dear" that I realised that the person had no idea what the words meant. (The Flying Dutchman, for anyone else in the same predicament)

[memegarden.livejournal.com]

I just had the same confusion reading your comment.

polyglots rule!

[callibr8]

the question was "What famous ghost ship was named "die vliegende hollander"?". The automatic translation units I had installed at school kicked in

I too auto-translated that, but I think I had an easier time of it because I was reading your text, not having to pick it up just from hearing the words spoken. Heh.

[hollyking.livejournal.com]

On the MARHST-L (http://post.queensu.ca/~listserv/wwwarch/marhst-l.html) list they just had a thread about silly ship names. This was one of my favorites from the thread:

Aspergillum, first heavy cruiser commissioned by the state of Vatican City. Armed with 6 heavy water cannon in three turrets, intended to sink light craft of infidels by flooding them with holy water. Lost at sea on her first operational cruise when a particularly vicious episode of St. Elmo's Fire ignited 300 barrels of altar wine and the ship exploded.

[kethet.livejournal.com]

The Dutch became the Neimoidians?

[boizane.livejournal.com]

So... this is the first post I got on you... Just missed the pictures.

Nice pictures, BTW.

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Puzzle Pirates names all the ships with random [adjective] [fish]. Adventurous Angelfish, Educated Hake, Enlightened Rudd, Open-Minded Tench. (Yes, really.)

One day I misread Adventurous as Androgynous.

I really think the game needs an Androgynous Trout or something.

[olafthunderfoot.livejournal.com]

ROFLMMFAO!!!! i love it!