Donate SIGN UP

Ships Passing

Avatar Image
Moe4 | 02:00 Thu 11th Nov 2004 | Phrases & Sayings
2 Answers
What is the origin of the phrase "Like two ships passing in the night"?
Gravatar

Answers

1 to 2 of 2rss feed

Best Answer

No best answer has yet been selected by Moe4. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.

For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.

The original was a quote from an H W Longfellow poem 'Tales of a Wayside Inn' which read: "Ships that pass in the night and speak each other in passing, Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness."

Since then, of course, variations such as your own have appeared to suggest what amounts to a lack of real communication.

Its a shame really. The original quote is such a beautiful image of briefly shared comradeship and what might have been

1 to 2 of 2rss feed

Do you know the answer?

Ships Passing

Answer Question >>