Common Terms & Colloquialisms with Whaling Origins
	Whaling ship recruits were called “greenhands” because they were usually quite young and did not have the callouses associated with rough work, such as rope handling & rowing.  This derogatory term was used aboard ship until the ship rounded Cape Horn, traversing from the Atlantic into the Pacific.  From then-on, the recruits were called able-bodied seaman.  The two terms have now been intermixed to greenhorn, meaning an inexperienced worker.
		A whaling captain always carried a full barrel or two of raw whale teeth from the previous voyage.  Outbound voyages often took 6- to 9-months to arrive at favorable Sperm whaling grounds.  Normal ship maintenance and longboat drills could only fill some of this transit time, and with no gambling, card playing, or drinking allowed on most Quaker-owned whaling ships, scrimshaw was encouraged to occupy free time.  From this barrel, the Captain had first choice of several teeth, then the First mate, Second Mate, Third Mate, boatsteerers, cooper, blacksmith and cook.  By the time greenhands were allowed to choose, only poor teeth remained in the bottom of the barrel.
			Among the routine tasks aboard a whaler was the recycling of old rope.  It was unpicked and re-spun into lengths of yarn suitable for the innumerable uses of a sailing ship.  There was an element of make-work in this, but there was seldom grumbling by the crew, because it was easy labour, and its mechanical nature left minds & voices free to roam.  Yarn spinning became synonymous with story-telling: the longer and more fanciful, the better to beguile the hour.
					HOME