Brewer's: Boy

in sailor language has no reference to age, but only to experience in seamanship. A boy may be fifty or any other age. A crew is divided into able seamen, ordinary seamen, and boys or greenhorns. A “boy” is not required to know anything about the practical working of the vessel, but an “able seaman” must know all his duties and be able to perform them.

“A boy does not ship to know anything.”

Related Content Allusions Foreign Words and Phrases Latin and Greek Word Elements Names: Their Origins and Meanings Old Testament Names Mythology Ancient Greek Literature & Mythology The Bible (King James version) The Koran (translation by J. M. Rodwell) Shakespeare's Plays Tales from Shakespeare (Charles and Mary Lamb) Frequently Misspelled Words Frequently Mispronounced Words Easily Confused Words Writing & Language