ship (redirected from when ship comes home)

abandon ship 

1. Lit. to leave a sinking ship. The captain ordered the crew and passengers to abandon ship.

2. . Fig. to leave a failing enterprise. A lot of the younger people are abandoning ship because they can get jobs elsewhere easily.

See also: abandon

desert a sinking ship and leave a sinking ship

Fig. to leave a place, a person, or a situation when things become difficult or unpleasant. (Rats are said to be the first to leave a ship that is sinking.) I hate to be the one to desert a sinking ship, but I can't work for a company that continues to lose money. There goes Tom. Wouldn't you know he'd leave a sinking ship rather than stay around and try to help?

See also: desert, sink

jump ship 

1. Lit. to leave one's job on a ship and fail to be aboard it when it sails; [for a sailor] to go AWOL. One of the deckhands jumped ship at the last port.

2. Fig. to leave any post or position; to quit or resign, especially when there is difficulty with the job. None of the editors liked the new policies, so they all jumped ship as soon as other jobs opened up.

See also: jump

Loose lips sink ships.

Don't talk carelessly because you don't know who is listening. (From wartime. Literally, "Don't reveal even the location of a loved one on a ship, because the location could be communicated to the enemy by a spy.") You never know who is going to hear what you say and how they will use what they hear. Remember, loose lips sink ships.

See also: lip, loose, sink

One hand for oneself and one for the ship.

Prov. When you are on a ship, always use one hand to steady yourself, and one to work; likewise, always put some effort into safeguarding yourself as well as into working. The old sailor chastised us for forgetting to hold onto something during the rough weather. "One hand for yourself and one for the ship," he bellowed. This company expects you to work hard, but not so hard that you hurt yourself. One hand for yourself and one for the ship.

See also: and, hand, one, oneself

Rats abandon a sinking ship. and like rats abandoning a sinking ship

Prov. You can tell when something is about to fail because large numbers of people begin to leave it. (Can imply that the people who leave are "rats," that is, selfish and disloyal.) Jill: The company next door must be going bankrupt. Jane: How do you know? Jill: All its employees are resigning. Rats abandon a sinking ship.

See also: abandon, Rat, sink

run a tight ship and run a taut ship

to run a ship or an organization in an orderly and disciplined manner. (Taut and tight mean the same thing. Taut is correct nautical use.) The new office manager really runs a tight ship. Captain Jones is known for running a taut ship.

See also: run, tight

Shape up or ship out.

Fig. Either improve one's performance (or behavior) or leave. (Used as a command.) Okay, Tom. That's the end. Shape up or ship out! John was late again, so I told him to shape up or ship out.

See also: out, shape, up

ships that pass in the night

Cliché people who meet each other briefly by chance, sometimes having a sexual liaison, and who are unlikely to meet again or have an ongoing relationship. Mary wanted to see Jim again, but to him, they were ships that passed in the night. We will never befriends. We are just ships that passed in the night.

See also: night, pass

when one's ship comes in

Fig. when one becomes rich and successful. When my ship comes in, we'll live in one of these huge mansions on the hill, my lass. When your ship comes in, Otto, I'll probably die of amazement!

See also: come

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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

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

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: out, shape, up

spoil the ship for a hap'orth of tar

to spoil something big or important by refusing to spend a small amount of money or make a small amount of effort They spent millions on a wonderful architect-designed building, but they've bought really cheap furniture. It's just spoiling the ship for a hap'orth of tar.

See also: spoil, tar

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 jump ship, spoil the ship for a hap'orth of tar

See also: come

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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

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 somebody/something off to somewhere also ship off somebody/something

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.