ship n.1
(US) an aeroplane.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | One Man’s War (1929) 131: I couldn’t be too rough with that kind of procedure, as I might break up my ship at the same time. | |
 | ‘Up in a Sop’ in Airman’s Song Bk (1945) 39: The wings are weak, the ship’s a freak, / She’s got a ricketty prop. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Your Broadway & Mine 30 Dec. [synd. col.] Professional birdmen never say aeroplane. To them all motored aircraft are ‘ships’. | |
| On Broadway 6 June [synd. col.] Bogart Rogers [...] forwards these bits of aviation slang: A plane is always a crate, a bus or a ship. | |
| (con. 1920s) Big Money in USA (1966) 899: Bill Cermak had the ship out of the hangar and all tuned up. | |
| Men in Battle 261: No parachute blossomed white beside the falling ship. | |
| 30 Nov. in A Flying Tiger’s Diary (1984) 49: All of us were up early getting the ships ready and peaked up for the flight. | |
| Serenade to the Big Bird 42: I saw the meat-wagon start toward a ship taxi-ing in. | |
| Mad mag. Oct.–Nov. 28: The X-13 is a good ship. But whoever heard of flying a ship? | |
| Sun. Times 5 June n.p.: Where in hell are the cartridges in this ship? | |
| Doom Pussy 2: Turning to watch the ships taxi by on the adjacent runway. |
SE in slang uses
In derivatives
(US) shipmate, also as a term of address.
| (con. 1843) White-Jacket (1990) 388: ‘Shippy!’ said Landless, taking the pale lad by his neckerchief, as if he had him by the halter; ‘Shippy, I’ve seen sarvice with Uncle Sam – I’ve sailed in many Andrew Millers.’. |
In compounds
see shitload n.
(N.Z.) a prostitute who works on docked ships; a descendant of the 19C Maori ship-girl.
| Salient (Wellington) 19 Sept. 10: Two of my shippie mates who were both butch actually ‘cracked it’ so seldom they were more sexually moral than most varsity students. [Ibid.] 11: The other main regulars of the bistro are the ship molls and the hillybins (lesbians) [DNZE]. | |
| TV 1 ‘Shark in the Park’ 12 Apr. [TV script] There was a shippie working the coastline riddled with clap. Shipmolls make me sick [DNZE]. |
1. (US campus) an absolute failure.
| Five Years in an Eng. University 56: His university course has been a shipwreck. | |
| College Words (rev. edn) 423: shipwreck. Among students, a total failure. |
2. (US) scrambled eggs.
| Commercial (Union City, TN) 22 May 5/1: ‘Shipwreck ’em.’ Scrambled eggs. |
to scramble eggs.
| ‘Gloss. of Cafe Terms’ AS XVIII:4308/2: shipwreck a pair. Two scrambled eggs. |
drunk.
| Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era. |
In phrases
1. to die.
| Amer. Claimant 1641: We’ll not give up the ship yet [DA]. | |
| Scranton Republican (PA) 26 Nov. 7/4: His first dose of morphine was taken upon that awful afternoon when he gave up the ship and went into his garden to die. | |
| ‘Amer. Euphemisms for Dying’ in AS XI:3 199: Gave up the ship. |
2. (orig. US) to surrender, lit. or fig.
| Pittsburgh Dly Commercial (PA) 2 June 2/2: He heard that the capital had fallen [...] He gave up the ship. | |
| Anaconda Standard (MT) 15 July 6/2: He gave up the ship and made a clean breast of it, admitting his guilt. | |
| Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ) 30 Nov. 26/1: The gambling king-pin then conceeded defeat [...] He ‘gave up the ship’. | |
| Alexandra Times (IN) 11 Apr. 1/2: Sachs campaigned up and down [...] the votes were counrted. But at 1.50 a.m. he gave up the ship. | |
| Tallahassee Democrat (FL) 18 Apr. 9/1: Under intense pressure [...] from within his authoritarian government [...] he gave up the ship. |
(Aus.) a term of affectionate address.
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | Bulletin (Sydney) 24 Dec. 44/1: ‘Jimmy, old ship,’ he said, ‘haven’t I always told you that strategy is the art of cookery?’. |
(Aus.) to buy a drink.
| Ridgey-Didge Oz Jack Lang 15: But because none of his Chinas appeared to be around the traps at this time of day it seemed that he might have to steers [sic] ship for a blow in or two. [Ibid.] 45: Steer the ship Buy the drinks. |