Flotsam and jetsam
Posted on January 13, 2004 @ 11:11 in General
I love language(s). Flotsam and jetsam are two wonderful words with an evocative history. Always good to know a little more:
Your colleagues at work may jokingly refer to the flotsam and jetsam in your office but, technically speaking, they would be wrong unless you were truly adrift or sinking. Flotsam in maritime law applies to wreckage or cargo left floating on the sea after a shipwreck. Jetsam applies to cargo or equipment thrown overboard (jettisoned) from a ship in distress and either sunk or washed ashore. The common phrase flotsam and jetsam is now used loosely to describe any objects found floating or washed ashore.
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