Wednesday, January 2, 2013

land lover/landlubber: Common Errors in English Usage Entry for Wednesday, January 2, 2013

land lover/landlubber
“Lubber” is an old term for a clumsy person, and beginning in the 18th century sailors used it to describe a person who was not a good seaman. So the pirate expression of scorn for those who don’t go to sea is not “land lover” but “landlubber.”

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