I was told by an old sailor, that the term was still used in the whaling days off the New Zealand coast. The term scuttlebutt, referred to deckhands sitting in the ships companionway scuttle ( a curved cover on the front of the forward deck companionways ) It was a good place to sit and chat, and shelter from the weather, when they should have been working. So the term was synonymous with gossip. They where also referred to as scuttle-bugs.
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Paul:
December 23rd, 2015 at 3:19 pm
I was told by an old sailor, that the term was still used in the whaling days off the New Zealand coast. The term scuttlebutt, referred to deckhands sitting in the ships companionway scuttle ( a curved cover on the front of the forward deck companionways ) It was a good place to sit and chat, and shelter from the weather, when they should have been working. So the term was synonymous with gossip. They where also referred to as scuttle-bugs.