What occupation has given us more everyday phrases used in the English language? Sailors! Here is a list of phrases that we use today:

A shot across the bows
All at sea
Batten down the hatches
Between the Devil and the deep blue sea
Broad in the beam
By and large
Chock-a-block
Close quarters
Copper-bottomed
Cut and run
Get underway
Give a wide berth
Go by the board
Hand over fist
Hard and fast
High and dry
In the offing
Know the ropes
On your beam ends
Plain sailing
Shipshape and Bristol fashion
Shake a leg
Shiver my timbers
Taken aback
Tell it to the marines
The bitter end
The cut of your jib
Three sheets to the wind

Do you know the meaning of any of these? Shiver my timbers actually means break my boat to pieces. It was a term of surprise used by sailors! Are you interested in the meanings to all of these phrases? You can find them here.