>Makes you wonder why they used 'Starboard' and 'Larboard' in the first place.

Oh they're from the germanic languages and I guess, the size of those old longships, the look-out only had to nod his head in the right direction. But a guy shouting from the crow's nest in older, larger ships, or the captain telling the larboard side to give a broadside, when that's pointing at you own ships, could be a trifle problematical.

>Also makes me wonder whether POSH wasn't one of the first acronyms (Port Out Starboad Home)?

I'm never sure whether that's one of those apochryphal ones, like why the Ozzies call us "poms" (POHM, "Property Of His Majesty" printed on the convicts' clothes - or the "colour of a pomegranate" explanation)

>
>Maybe Backslash is really what you get from pi**ing into the wind?
>

<bg> Yeah, and a solidus you get from constipation

>
>>Yes, I did. But I have no problem with "back-slash" (only 2 syllables). I thought "slosh" was a bit daft as it sounds too like "slash", esp. with various accents, etc. The reason why sides of a ship are "starboard" and "port" is because "port" was originally "larboard" but, of course, with the crash of waves and howl of wind, the two terms could easily be mistaken, with disatrous consequences.
>>
>>>Did you see that it was referred to as 'Slosh' in the link Bruce posted - that's definitely a new one on me...
>>>
>>>>That article - quite an eye-opener. But it refers to "/" as a "slant" or "virgule". Great, I thought, another 2 expressions for it to further back my case for NOT calling it "forward-slash". Then I realised that "virgule" is French for "comma".
>>>>
>>>>>Hi,
>>>>>Horses mouth:
>...