BoatFrom the Anglo-Saxon bat that meant a small ship or vessel. A generic term for a small, open craft. Many people use the term when, in fact, they mean ship.Boatswain (pronounced bosun)From the Saxon word swein which meant a boy or servant.It is his/her responsibility to assure that all equipment on deck, i.e. anchor, rigging, sails, etc., functions properly and have suitable spare parts. In spite of the name, the ships boats are not usually his responsibility.Boatswains Pipe An unusually shaped whistle, it was used in ancient Greece and Rome to keep the stroke of galley slaves.The pipe was used in the Crusades to call English cross bowmen on deck for attack. A variety of tones can be produced, and each order had its own unique call. In time, the pipe came to be used as a badge of office by commanders.The pipe is still used, in the British and some other navies, for saluting visiting officers and other dignitaries.Booby HatchA booby hatch is a small, covered compartment under the deck, toward the bow. Sailors were punished (perhaps by the Black Book) by confinement in the booby hatch. The term has come to mean (politically incorrectly) a mental institution, or to characterize some places I have worked.Boot CampDuring the Spanish-American War, sailors wore leggings called boots, which came to mean a Navy (or Marine) recruit. These recruits trained in boot camps.Brightwork Brightwork originally referred to polished metal objects and now is used to refer to varnished items made of wood, such as trim.Brought Up ShortA sailing ship underway could only be brought to an emergency standstill by dropping the anchors. Not a pleasant experience. Used today to mean a person brought to an unexpected standstill by a sudden change of fortune or circumstance.BuccaneerFrom the French boucan, or grill, for cooking dried meat. Originally referring to those who hunted and smoked meat, it expanded to include those who ate it (or stole it) as well. Predominantly in the Caribbean in the 1650s, buccaneers differed from pirates in that they did not attack their own nations ships. Early groups were made up of adventurers of all kinds, excellent seamen all, many of whom made remarkable voyages around the world. Sir Henry Morgan organized them to capture Panama in 1671. The start of the European war in 1689 was the end of the buccaneers, though many went on to become legit privateers. Their romanticized