sailor-phrase

Updated: June 24, 2025

This man hesitated in his speech, was rather slow in his motions, and was only a tolerably good sailor, but usually seemed to do his best; yet the captain took a dislike to him, thought he was surly and lazy, and ``if you once give a dog a bad name, as the sailor-phrase is, ``he may as well jump overboard. The captain found fault with everything this man did, and hazed him for dropping a marline-spike from the main-yard, where he was at work.

Richard Henry Dana - Two Years Before the Mast

This man hesitated in his speech, and was rather slow in his motions, but was a pretty good sailor, and always seemed to do his best; but the captain took a dislike to him, thought he was surly, and lazy; and "if you once give a dog a bad name" as the sailor-phrase is "he may as well jump overboard."

Richard Henry Dana - Two Years Before the Mast