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Show Briny Peep Birthplace of Many Figurei f Speech In addition to iuch obviously nautical terms as "Pouring oil on troubled waters," "Feeling buoyed up," and "Left hih and dry." our everyday speech is liberally sprinkled with metaphors whose maritime origin is not so apparent. appar-ent. The "bitter end" to which everyone every-one was going to fight refers to the end of the cable that was secured to the bitts, an arrangement arrange-ment of wooden or iron posts which took the strain when a vessel ves-sel lay at anchor. When the full length of the cable was extended, it was said to be out "to the bitter bit-ter end," signifying that the limit had been reached. |