The History of English Podcast

Host: Kevin Stroud
Episode 187: Islands and Sea
Date: December 31, 2025

Overview

Main Theme & Purpose:
This episode explores the expansion of English influence and language in the late 1620s, focusing on England’s early Caribbean colonies, nautical terminology that entered English during this seafaring age, and the political turbulence with Charles I's ascent. Kevin highlights how maritime life and global contact enriched English vocabulary and shaped its global trajectory.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. John Donne, Metaphysical Poetry, and "No Man is an Island"

• Donne’s poetry reflected a major shift in English poetic style: “Whereas Elizabethan poetry tended to be very elaborate... Donne tended to use language that was more conversational and direct.” (04:03)
• Donne’s meditation in Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions (1624) gave English lasting phrases:
  • “No man is an island entire of itself. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
  • “Never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” (06:40)
• These express interconnectedness, both literal—Britain’s increasing global ties—and metaphorical.

2. England, Parliament, and the Crisis of Monarchy

• Ascension of Charles I in 1625 intensified monarch-Parliament tensions.
• Charles believed strongly in the divine right of kings, refusing parliamentary constraints:
  • “Charles resented having to go to Parliament with his hat in his hand and essentially begging for money.” (77:31)
• Repeated political clashes, dissolutions of Parliament, and failed military campaigns set the stage for civil strife.

3. English Maritime Expansion and Colonial Ventures

• English settlements in North America and first Caribbean colony at St. Kitts (1624), soon followed by Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, and Barbados.
• Settlements were merchant-funded, not government-led, reflecting “private enterprises established and organized by investors.” (42:30)
• Barbados drew as many English settlers as New England and Virginia combined in the coming decades.

4. The Language of the Sea: Nautical Origins in English

Verified nautical terms from the 1500s–1600s include:

• (Borrowed from Dutch): skipper, keel, shore, pump, mesh, school (of fish), freight, buoy, deck, dock, reef, yacht, hoist, freebooter, splice, split.
• (New formations/meanings):
  • “Wear and tear” (first recorded mid-1620s) (23:05)
  • “Smuggler,” “cruise,” “commodore,” “sloop.”

Nautical phrases with modern meanings:

• Flagship: The lead ship; now used for "best product/model." (53:22)
• Red flag: Originally for battle-readiness or defiance; now means warning sign. (54:11)
• Wide berth / Give a wide berth: Give space to avoid confrontation. (55:13)
• Leeway: Original sense: allowance for a ship's drift; now general “freedom” or “room.” (55:53)
• Broadside: Naval volley; now an attack, especially verbal. (56:32)
• Cut and run: Cut anchor to escape quickly. (57:52)
• Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: Difficult dilemma; possibly nautical. (58:30)
• No quarter / Give quarter: To show mercy or not; “no quarter” first recorded 1640s. (52:21)
• Derelict: Originally a deserted ship; now anything abandoned. (61:19)
• Careen: To tilt a ship for repairs; now, to lurch or sway. (70:32)
• Even keel / Keeled over: Stable boat; calm, even-tempered person. (68:17)
• Jury mast / jury-rigged: Makeshift mast after damage; now, anything temporarily fixed. (71:38)
• Close quarters: From defensive barriers (“close fights”), now means tight spaces or hand-to-hand combat. (73:37)
• Fender: Material between ship/hull and obstacles; now, also a car part. (74:50)
• Anchor’s away / Anchor aweigh: To raise anchor, depart. (76:08)
• Bitter end: End of the anchor cable; now, enduring something to its conclusion. (77:31)
• Plummet: Originally to measure water depth, now means to fall sharply. (80:01)
• Knot: Unit of nautical speed (from literal knots in rope). (80:34)
• Know the ropes: To be experienced, derived from knowledge of a ship's rigging. (81:10)
• Sheet (rope attached to sails): Led to "three sheets to the wind" (drunk). (82:16)
• Strike: To lower a sail or flag; mutated to “strike” (workers) as in refusing to work. (84:17)
• True colors / False colors: Ship’s flagged identity, now denotes authenticity/deception. (85:17)
• With flying colors: Literal: victorious ship keeping colors aloft; now, success with confidence. (86:18)
• Take down a peg or two: Supposedly from lowering a flag; etymology debated (“canoe” etymology). (88:02)

Notable Quote:

Kevin Stroud:
"The prominence of nautical and maritime words in the English language has created a bit of a problem for modern scholars... That desire to find a nautical origin in words and phrases is so prevalent in the scholarship that it's even produced a common canoe." (21:10)

5. New Words from Cultural Contact

• Paddy: From Malay, for rice crop (early 1620s). (28:10)
• Wigwam, Powwow: Native American terms, now part of American English. (29:04)
  • Powwow originally a ritual/ceremony; now, any meeting.
• Rattlesnake, Swamp: First English references (John Smith, 1624); swamp possibly from Dutch/Germanic roots. (31:35)
• Pineapple: Originally meant “pine cone;” transferred to fruit due to resemblance. (32:47)
• Allspice: Named for tasting like several familiar spices; another new-world lexical addition. (34:27)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On language migration by sea:
  “It’s worth keeping in mind that as the English language spread outward from the British Isles, it did so on ships... that transported people and goods around the world.” (09:33)

• On the “canoe” etymology problem:
  “Depending on the source, it stands for, either the Conspiracy or the Committee to Attribute Nautical Origins to Everything.” (20:42)

• On early English colonization of the Caribbean:
  “In 1624, a group of English settlers did just that, making St. Kitts the first permanent English settlement in the Caribbean.” (37:29)

• On political tensions under Charles I:
  “With Charles at the helm, England was headed into some choppy waters.” (73:08)

• On the phrase "Hobson’s choice":
  “Hobson owned a stable in Cambridge... he had a rule that customers... had to take the horse that was nearest to the stable door... and that's given us the term a Hobson’s choice.” (77:48)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:09–06:48 — Opening & John Donne’s legacy: “No man is an island,” metaphysical poetry.
• 06:48–11:30 — England’s global expansion and the nautical roots of English vocabulary.
• 20:42–23:05 — Roots of English nautical terminology, Dutch influences, and the "canoe" etymology problem.
• 23:05–34:27 — New words and their origins: “wear and tear,” “paddy,” “wigwam,” “powwow,” “rattlesnake,” “swamp,” “pineapple,” “allspice.”
• 36:12–41:19 — Founding of St. Kitts and other Caribbean settlements.
• 53:22–86:18 — In-depth nautical vocabulary: flagship, red flag, berth, leeway, broadside, careen, even keel, jury-rigged, close quarters, bitter end, anchor's away, plummet, knot, "with flying colors," and more.
• 77:48–79:36 — The origin of "Hobson’s choice."
• 81:10–88:02 — Further nautical terms; John Smith’s seafaring manuals as linguistic treasure troves.
• 89:41–end — Summary of Charles I's mounting crisis, failures in France and Spain, and the beginning of his eleven-year personal rule.

Flow and Utility

Kevin Stroud weaves historical narrative with the evolution of language, showing how England’s literal and figurative movement beyond its “island” status sparked not only global influence but a rich layer of nautical and colonial vocabulary still resonating in modern English. The episode is a compelling mix of political intrigue, etymological detective work, and the story of a language shaped by wind, sail, and sea.

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