DaWei

In order not to carry that other thread too off-topic, Ruben.

In the days before depth-finders, the depth of water under a ship was measured by using a line with a lead weight on the end (appropriately enough, called a "leadline" ) At certain distances along the line various materials of varying colors were tied. These were also designed to be readable by feel, for nighttime use. Depths were measured in fathoms, one fathom being six feet. I don't remember the various cutoff depths for distinguishing "shallow" from "deep", but six fathoms was "deep", and may have been the demarcation point. "By the deep, six!!" would have been the six-fathom call. That's deep enough that something jettisoned there wouldn't likely be seen again. Therefore, if you want to get rid of something, you "deep-six" it.

The word, "knots", which is "nautical miles per hour" (the time element is implicit, "knots per hour" is improper usage), has a similar derivation.

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Prm753

Isn't the term: "To deep-six someone" referring to killing that person?

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DaWei

Well, it's a nautical (originally) term to dump or get rid of something (person or otherwise). It's often presumed to be associated with "six feet under", but it isn't.

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nnxion

Thanks David, I like learnin' new things like that, one never knows how such knowledge may come in handy.

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Infinite Recursion

Especially in trivia games

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Ooble

w00t I was wrong.

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