From: utzoo!decvax!cca!ima!inmet!porges
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Title: Re: POSH, once more - (nf)
Article-I.D.: inmet.40
Posted: Sun Mar 13 03:25:46 1983
Received: Fri Mar 18 02:21:46 1983

#R:decvax:-42500:inmet:7300004:000:534
inmet!porges    Mar 11 14:09:00 1983

	The "Port Out Starboard Home" derivation of POSH is a famous
piece of "folk etymology" which means it's not true.  I forget where
I learned this (I think LA Times columnist Jack Smith), but one piece
of evidence was that Port wasn't called Port in the last century, but
"Hardboard" or some such word connect with Starboard.  The same article
(collected in a book) said that he had looked over maps of ocean liners
in the last century and the given derivation of the word didn't match up
with where the expensive cabins really were.