Taking the Piss:
Two Theories at Sea, One in Bed
You want fifty percent more… for a sideways move? I asked the candidate.
I stopped myself from saying… are you taking the piss?
Turns out, I was the one it was being served to.
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Fair warning: this week's #MaritimeOrigins is a rude one…
Historians can't agree where it comes from. Three theories:
Two happen at sea. One happens in bed.
1️⃣ The Cargo Theory.
Centuries ago, urine was liquid gold.
🐑 Processing wool
🍺 Strengthening ale
💥 Making gunpowder
Ships hauled barrels of urine up the coast… a cargo so embarrassing, sailors claimed it was "wine".
"Wine? You're not taking the wine. You're taking the piss."
2️⃣ The Switch Theory
Same barrels, opposite direction.
A crew on a long voyage drinks the wine they're carrying… Then tops the barrels back up the only way available.
Somewhere at a dock, a merchant takes a confident swig of his own stock.
3️⃣ The Morning Glory Theory.
No ships. Just 1700s slang, still with us today.
"Piss-proud": the first part of a man to wake up and stand to attention… 🫡. Not from excitement. Just a full bladder. 😉
False pride. And taking the piss out of someone… deflates it.
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🫡 Angle Recruitment, Maritime Talent Experts
We can smell a dodgy barrel from the dock.
Wine tasting, anyone?
Fun Facts
💡 The Emperor's defence
The Romans taxed urine. Emperor Vespasian put a levy on the collectors who sold it to fullers and tanners.
When his son turned his nose up at the money, Vespasian held a coin under it: "Pecunia non olet."
Money doesn't stink.
Still the motto of half the shipping industry 😉
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Think the ale bit was a joke? There are receipts.
A 1630 pamphlet brags of drinking "double-lanted ale"… graded by dosage.
By 1743, brewers' handbooks were raging about publicans slipping "chamberly" into pale ale.
So next time someone calls your beer piss, remember: once, that was the premium option 🍺
Pint of double-lanted, anyone?
💡 The polite years
"Piss" was polite English for 600 years. It's in the 1382 Wycliffe Bible.
The dandelion's common name was "pissabed", after its diuretic kick… the French still call it pissenlit.
Then the Victorians arrived, fainted, and gave us "urinate".
Maritime Origins is a weekly storytelling series exploring the sea-born origins of phrases we still use on land, along with the lesser-known stories, legends and characters that shaped maritime culture.
Created by Jason Nangle, founder of Angle Recruitment, a global maritime recruitment and executive search firm.
New episode every Tuesday on LinkedIn. Also on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.
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