ship

be like ships that pass in the night

if two people are like ships that pass in the night, they meet once or twice by chance for a short time and then do not see each other again. I only met him once or twice - we were like ships that pass in the night - but I've never met anyone else like him.

See also: like, night, pass, that

jump ship

if you jump ship, you leave a job or activity suddenly before it is finished, especially to go and work for someone else. Another advertising agency offered him $1000 to jump ship.

See also: jump

run a tight ship

to control a business or other organization firmly and effectively. Ruth runs a tight ship and has no time for shirkers.

See also: run, tight

Shape up or ship out. (informal)

something that you say in order to tell someone that if their behaviour does not improve, they will have to leave. This is the third serious mistake you've made this month. It's not good enough - you're going to have to shape up or ship out.

See also: shape

a sinking ship

a company or other organization that is failing. He'd seen the company's accounts, realized he was on a sinking ship, and decided to get off.

See also: sink

when your ship comes in

if you talk about what you will do when your ship comes in, you mean when you are rich and successful. When my ship comes in, I'll build you a huge house in the country.

See also: come

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jump ship

to leave a job or activity suddenly. Although most of our employees are satisfied with their jobs, half of them would probably jump ship if something becames available elsewhere. The original star of the TV series jumped ship after the first season.

Usage notes: often said about someone who goes to work for another company

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of jump ship (= to leave a ship without permission while it is temporarily in a port in the middle of a trip)

See also: jump

ship someone/something off to somewhere

to send someone or something to a place. When Pauline was twelve, her father shipped her off to relatives in Baltimore. The kids were arrested, convicted, and shipped off to reform school. Students should ship off their applications well before the deadline.

a sinking ship

an organization that is failing. She says the school is a sinking ship, and has no money to hire additional teachers.

See also: sink