ProbableNamed from the place
shipshape and Bristol fashion
adjective · first attested 19th century
Bristol's tide was so extreme that ships had to be packed to survive sitting on mud.
Neat, orderly and properly secured.
51.4536°N -2.5975°W · Q23154
Record
- Relationship
- Named from the place
- Confidence
- ProbableThe conventional story is likely, with caveats.
- Attested
- 19th century
- Part of speech
- adjective
Explanations here are written for this atlas. Dictionary text is not copied; the sources are linked so the claim can be checked.
- Step 1
Bristol
- In English
shipshape and Bristol fashion
The Avon at Bristol has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world, and before the city's enclosed harbor was built ships settled onto the riverbed twice a day, so cargo and rigging had to be stowed to take that strain. The phrase is recorded in nautical English by the middle of the 19th century and now just means tidy.
Also pinned to Bristol
1 more from the same place
United Kingdom
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