gulch
n.— «For Glyn Willacott, there was never a dull moment aboard HMS Cardiff. The 59-year-old served as a weapons engineer between 1982 and 1985, travelling to the Falklands, the Persian Gulf and, of course, back to the ship’s home city of Cardiff.…“We were at sea all the time once we were there—it was very rare you managed to set foot off the ship. But we would all really look forward to the trips there and back because we would call inland (during the journeys),” he said. He said there were 60 men in each mess—or the “gulches” as they were called—and they would sleep in the bottom, middle or top bunk depending on rank.» —“HMS Cardiff veteran rues the scrapping of his old vessel” by Gerry Holt WalesOnline (United Kingdom) Nov. 21, 2008. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Our discussion of Anglo-Saxon kennings inspired listener Paul Holler of Arlington Heights, Illinois, to write a lovely poem exploring the idea of the kenning sea-guest, meaning “sailor,” and what it means to be a guest of the sea and what that says...
When does late at night change to early in the morning? 2:30 a.m.? 3:00 a.m.? Another time? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “When Does Late Night Become Early Morn?” Listener Greg Johnson asked a question that I’ve been pondering...