Why do we say 'dead as a dodo'? It started as a sailor's insult, fool or fat arse, but the bird wasn't stupid at all. It simply trusted the wrong ships in 1598.

In 1914 a German warship disguised itself as the British liner Carmania, then was sunk by the real Carmania in the first ever battle between two ocean liners.

It was Darren's round, then he was gone. The surprising story behind 'fly by night', from a witch slur, to a debtor, to a sail that flew through the night.

The word 'yacht' started life as a Dutch pirate hunting ship, long before it meant luxury. The story behind the name.

The phrase Dutch courage began in the 1580s, when Dutch soldiers drank jenever before battle. The English took the habit, the gin, and turned the name into a jibe.

Discover the maritime origin of “slush fund” - from greasy ship leftovers sold ashore to one of history’s most infamous phrases for hidden money.

'In irons' began as a phrase for a shackled prisoner. Sailors borrowed it for boats stalled head-to-wind. Now it's how candidates describe being stuck at work.

Sailing close to the wind" has 2,000-year-old maritime roots. The phrase still describes operating as close to the limit as possible without crossing it.

There's nothing average about 'average'. Born in a shipwreck, the word traces back 2,800 years and still costs cargo owners millions when ships go wrong.