Stranger things

Posted by ThFallen on September 23, 2002

In Reply to: Stranger things posted by JF on September 22, 2002

: Hi, has anyone ever heard the saying "stranger things have happened at sea"? What exactly does it mean, especially the sea reference?

It basically means that unlikely events do occur occasionally. It's usually used humorously - "John's promised to give up beer... hey, stranger things have happened at sea." - and is similar in tone and usage to something like "well, you never know".

It's a known and used expression here in the UK, but I have no clue who first coined it. As to the sea reference? This is just speculation, but certainly in times gone by, the sea was a largely unknown and mysterious environment, and life aboard ship sometimes demanded action that'd never have been taken if on land.