gah! I hate the new string syntax

[Aahz Maruch]

In article <jwbnews-8E2915.18132009032001 at corp.supernews.com>,
John W. Baxter <jwbnews at scandaroon.com> wrote:
>In article <G5eq6.47941$ML1.2142034 at e420r-atl2.usenetserver.com>,
> "Steve Holden" <sholden at holdenweb.com> wrote:
>> "Aahz Maruch" <aahz at panix.com> wrote in message
>> news:98asrq$645$1 at panix6.panix.com...
>>> In article <98amlj01sp6 at news2.newsguy.com>,
>>> Alex Martelli <aleaxit at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>Wrong!  You're talking about people whose seafaring skills and
>>>>traditions are (deservedly) legendary.  It's perfectly acceptable
>>>>for either an English or a Scot to be born aboard a ship...!!!
>>>
>>> Since when are *women* allowed aboard ships?
>> 
>> Women were allowed aboard British ships in the eighteenth and nineteenth
>> centuries, I believe. The phrase "shake a leg" (meaning to stop lazing about
>> and start work) is held to have been used by ships' mates to get the seamen
>> out of their bunks. A woman would show her leg to let the mate know she
>> should not be rousted out to work.
> 
>And at least one of the US Clipper ships finished a New York to San 
>Fransicso voyage under the command of the Captain's widow.  The captain 
>died en route.  The wife was aboard as navigator (being better at the 
>task than the mate), and the crew made it clear that things would go 
>much better with her in command than with the mate in command.  Sorry, I 
>don't have a reference handy (and the right Google search for this one 
>could be a bit tricky to create).

But that's a US ship.  English Ships Are Different.
-- 
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