A Sheet on a Boat Is a Rope, Not a Sail
A sheet is a flat piece of fabric or paper. In sailing it means the rope controlling a sail, which explains three sheets to the wind.
A sheet is a flat rectangular piece of fabric, paper or other thin material. In sailing it means something else entirely: a sheet is the rope that controls a sail's angle. That explains *three sheets to the wind* — if three sheets are loose the sails flap uncontrolled and the boat lurches about, which is how a very drunk person moves. The two senses come from related Old English words, one meaning a cloth and one a corner of a sail.
- A flat piece. *A sheet of paper.*
- Bed linen. *Clean sheets.*
- A sail's rope. *Trim the sheet.*
- Three sheets to the wind — very drunk. *Three sheets.*
- Old English — *sciete*, cloth. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | sheet | A sheet. |
| Plural | sheets | Sheets. |
| Verb | sheet | Rain sheeted down. |
| Compound | sheeting | Plastic sheeting. |
| Old English | sciete | A cloth. |
- Take a clean sheet of paper.Paper.
- He eased the sheet to spill wind.Sailing.
- He was three sheets to the wind.Idiom.
Nautical phrases in ordinary English
- Three sheets to the wind — very drunk, from loose sail ropes
- Taken aback — wind striking the wrong side of the sails
- By and large — sailing well in various wind conditions
- Learn the ropes — mastering the rigging
- Above board — visible on deck, not hidden below
Old English *sciete*, a cloth, and *sceata*, the corner of a sail, both from a Germanic root meaning to project.
What does three sheets to the wind mean?
Very drunk. If three of a boat's sheets, the ropes controlling the sails, are loose, the vessel lurches uncontrollably.
Is a sheet on a boat a sail?
No. It is the rope that controls the angle of a sail, which is why loose sheets mean trouble.