| Share
 
Dictionary of Phrase and Fable—G

Green Hands

(a nautical phrase). Inferior sailors, also called boys. A crew is divided into (1) Able seamen; (2) Ordinary seamen; and (3) Green hands or boys. The term “boys” has no reference to age, but merely skill and knowledge in seamanship. Here “green” means not ripe, not mature.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
Green Horse
Green Gown
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

More on Green Hands from Infoplease:

  • Green Hands - Green Hands (a nautical phrase). Inferior sailors, also called boys. A crew is divided into (1) ...
  • Walt Whitman: Twenty Years - Down on the ancient wharf, the sand, I sit, with a new-comer chatting: He shipp'd as green-hand boy, and sail'd away, (took some sudden, vehement noti
  • Able-bodied Seaman - Able-bodied Seaman A sailor of the first class. A crew is divided into three classes: (1) able ...
  • Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: G - Definitions, origins, and illustrative excerpts for words, phases, and literary allusions starting with "G"

Related Content

24 X 7

Private Tutor

Click Here for Details
24 x 7 Tutor Availability
Unlimited Online Tutoring
1-on-1 Tutoring
Explore Solve Math Problems , Math