sailor's euphemisms; taboo words at sea
Superstitious euphemisms used by sailors to avoid bad luck, such as calling sardines 'sundries' or whales 'Ebisu'. A specialized cultural term.
漁師たちは沖言葉を使って、不漁を避けようとした。
Fishermen used sailor's euphemisms to try to avoid poor catches.
沖言葉では、鯨を「えびす」と呼ぶことがある。
In sailor's euphemisms, whales are sometimes called 'Ebisu'.
Standard kanji spelling for this term.
Alternate kanji spelling using 詞 instead of 言葉.
Compound of 沖 (oki, 'offshore') and 言葉 (kotoba, 'word'). The exact origin is uncertain, but it reflects maritime superstitions.