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Ships as

Posted by Raphael Mankin on January 28, 2003

In Reply to: Ships as posted by Word Wizard on January 10, 2003

A less serious take on this point ...

> I'm a young researcher interested in the topic of gender and language. I know that in English the pronoun "she" could be referred to ships and cars.

Q: Why is a ship called she?
A: A ship is called a "she" because:

There is always a great deal of bustle around her.
There is usually a gang of men about.
She has waist and stays.
It takes a lot of paint to keep her looking good.
It is not the initial expense that breaks you, it is the upkeep
She can be all decked out.
It takes an experienced man to handle her correctly. :-)
Without a man at the helm, she is uncontrollable. :-D
She shows her topsides, hides her bottom.
When coming into port, always heads for the buoys. :-)

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