boy-o'-war

Updated: June 8, 2025

"Man-o'-war!" he had said in disgust; "a contemptible little cock-boat. They ought to have called her a boy-o'-war a little boy-o'-war. I shall walk overboard the first time I try to stretch my legs."

George Manville Fenn - In the King's Name: The Cruise of the "Kestrel"