Port and starboard

[Aquagility]

Historically, the right hand side of a ship (looking forward) was called the starboard side, and the left hand side was called the larboard. Very confusing.

At what point and at whose behest did larboard become port?

[shaneystar2]

Port and starboard are shipboard terms for left and right, respectively. Confusing those two could cause a ship wreck. In Old England, the starboard was the steering paddle or rudder, and ships were always steered from the right side on the back of the vessel. Larboard referred to the left side, the side on which the ship was loaded. So how did larboard become port? Shouted over the noise of the wind and the waves, larboard and starboard sounded too much alike. The word port means the opening in the "left" side of the ship from which cargo was unloaded. Sailors eventually started using the term to refer to that side of the ship.
Interesting article about it all here

[stewey]

There is another interpretation that left became 'port' because ships sailing up the English Channel had to turn left to proceed to the docks of London: ie, the Port.

[Aquagility]

Many thanks to you both.
Interesting that the Wikipedia article has the wrong explanation for the supposed origin of "POSH". It was not the landward side of the ship which was favoured, but the Northern side, away from the sun and thereforf cooler.

[Quizmonster]

Aqua, not only is Wikipedia wrong - though it does say it's only a claim - about 'landward' rather than 'northern', but 'posh' never did have anything whatever to do with boats!
The very first time the word appeared in print, meaning 'grand/swell' was in 1918, having earlier appeared as 'push' - with a "u" - in a P G Wodehouse story in 1903.
As British soldiers, officials and officers with wives and families had been sailing to and fro India for almost three centuries by then, it's clearly too late for the �port out' explanation to have any substance.
It was also rejected in the 'Mariners' Mirror' decades ago and presumably sailors of all people would have known. Finally, the steamship company concerned, P & O themselves, deny the phrase ever even existed!
According to The Oxford English Dictionary, it is probably no more than a corruption of Wodehouse's 'push'. It goes on to say the legend (quote) "lacks foundation".

[Aquagility]

I can't argue with any of that, Q, which is why I was careful to say the supposed origin!
But, quite apart from the word Posh, those with influence made sure that they got a North side cabin each way on the P&O tin liners as recently as 1956 - as I know to my cost!

[chakka35]

Quizmonster is, of course, right about POSH. In fact, one of my favourite reference books, by Michael Quinion (Penguin), is called POSH and is a dictionary of false etymology. In fact, acronyms were unknown until the 20th century, the earliest traceable being AWOL from the First World War. Which is why CABAL cannot possibly come from the initials of those conspirators.Why anyone trusts Wikopedia, or whatever it's called, is beyond me.

[chakka35]

Sorry about the inelegant double 'in fact'.

[chakka35]

Regarding 'port' Shaneystar is nearly there. The point was that since the steering oar projected from the starboard side you couldn't possibly come alongside with that side against the jetty. So the other side was that with which you came into port.

[jno]

wikipedia seems about right on cabals to me: the word existed before the 'Cabal' but people did notice at the time that their initials spelled out the word cabal

http://www.snopes.com/language/acronyms/cabal. htm