What is a "T'gansuls"?
Posted by majingetta@reddit | TNG | View on Reddit | 69 comments
I'm partially deaf so I couldn't clearly make out if he actually said "T'gansuls". Is it an actual word or a name?
osoluchando@reddit
Top gallant sails and courses - he is specifying which sails he wants set.
Greedybogle@reddit
This is the answer. Visual aid:
*
Lots of nautical terms aren't pronounced how they're spelled. "Boatswain" is pronounced "Bows-uhn," "Forecastle" is "Folk-suhl."
Riker and Geordi also have an exchange about the word "Stun-suhl." Similarly, that is a shortening of "Studdingsail."
This is a little speculative, but I always think these words got shortened so that they could be shouted and understood over the sound of cannon fire, or at a distance across a ship.
Greedybogle@reddit
https://i.redd.it/e03xf5uv2zre1.gif
Less-Source8049@reddit
“I don’t like the cut of your jib!” makes much more sense now.
Nap-Connoisseur@reddit
Wow! I’m amazed that someone would be able to discern when to deploy or collapse each of these different sails.
BarNo3385@reddit
There's a reason that, at least in the Royal Navy, promotion by merit was introduced fairly early, and the Lieutennants exam was a real thing.
Learning how to sail a ship of that size is not a quickly learned skill!
Though I also imagine the Computer is somewhat forgiving for errors in the rigging and sails aboard the Holodeck Enterprise. (In the same way you can get a well behaved hologram horse).
Neveronlyadream@reddit
I imagine the computer, through the programmed sailors on the ship, is just going to correct anything screws up.
I mean, the senior officers are basically just ordering computer proxies to do the work, so it's fine in that regard. I can't imagine any of them wouldn't screw it up if they were on an actual ship, though.
Well, maybe Data could get it right. But I don't think Data should be out on the open ocean given his track record with water.
QuentinEichenauer@reddit
But he can be used as a flotation device.
epidipnis@reddit
He IS fully functional.
Cold-Jackfruit1076@reddit
If you listen carefully to the scene in Generations, you'll hear a pattern of whistles. The sailors learned particular whistle patterns for specific situations.
That, in fact, is why it's considered bad luck to whistle in a theater: back 'in the day', sailors were often hired as stagehands, because of their familiarity with knots and ropes.
Like they did in their on-board life, they used whistle codes to coordinate the raising and lowering of scenery; whistling at the wrong time might cause a sandbag or a piece of scenery to drop onto someone's head!
Garf_artfunkle@reddit
Knowing what sails to set, and when, was a vital skill. (Still is, for those who sail.) It's not just the difference between a brisk or a sluggish pace. Too much sail at the wrong time could break the mast or heel the ship too far over and capsize it. Too little might leave you without forward motion and unable to steer into rough seas.
FungiStudent@reddit
Terrifying
Squirrelonastik@reddit
Spanker...
MaxCWebster@reddit
There was a young lady named Banker,
Who slept while the ship lay at anchor.
She awoke in dismay,
When she heard the mate say,
"Now hoist up the topsheet and spanker!"
thegeocash@reddit
On the good ship Venus By Christ you should have seen us The figurehead was a whore in bed Sucking a dead man’s penis
The captain’s name was Lugger By Christ he was a bugger He wasn’t fit to shovel shit From one ship to another
And the second mate was Andy By Christ he had a dandy Till they crushed his cock on a jagged rock For cumming in the brandy
The third mate’s name was Morgan By God he was a gorgon From half past eight he played till late Upon the captain’s organ
The captain’s wife was Mabel And by God was she able To give the crew their daily screw Upon the galley table
The captain’s daughter Charlotte Was born and bred a harlot Her thighs at night were lily white By morning they were scarlet
The cabin boy was Kipper By Christ he was a nipper He stuffed his ass with broken glass And circumcised the skipper
The captain’s lovely daughter Liked swimming in the water Delighted squeals came when some eels Found her sexual quarters
The cook his name was Freeman And he was a dirty demon And he fed the crew on menstrual stew And hymens fried in semen
And the ship’s dog was called Rover And we turned the poor thing over And ground and ground that faithful hound From Teneriff to Dover
When we reached our station Through skillful navigation The ship got sunk in a wave of spunk From too much fornication
On the good ship Venus By Christ you should have seen us The figurehead was a whore in bed Sucking a dead man’s penis
Questenburg@reddit
When the hell do I know that from?
thegeocash@reddit
It’s a pirate tune called “the good ship Venus”
MageKorith@reddit
The lady named Banker went upright
For what the made had then spoken was not right
She sought out the boatswain
And made a commotion
And was cast off from the ship with no fight
toosells@reddit
Spinnaker maybe?
Dipswitch_512@reddit
I hardly know her
Glittering-Most-9535@reddit
Yes?
gwhh@reddit
Cool.
FeetSniffer9008@reddit
That's just british pronounciation. They do it with places too: Bichester is Bistah, Mousehole is Mauzl and Frome is Froom for somefuckingreason
Mitologist@reddit
There is an absolutely hilarious skit by the "map men" on that! https://youtube.com/watch?v=uYNzqgU7na4
FeetSniffer9008@reddit
"Excuse me, could you mispronounce Frome for me?"
"Portsmouth"
"That'll do"
BarNo3385@reddit
Warwick, which is near the border with Leicestershire :)
gmlogmd80@reddit
Froom is probably from the same process which gets you Domesday Book (doomsday). Middle English spelling, post-Great Vowel Shift pronunciation if I had to guess.
clutzyninja@reddit
Speculation on my part as well, but that tracks with what I know of drill commands in the military. Like "attention" becomes "ten hut!!"
You use the sounds you can really belt out from your diaphragm. With practice, you can shout those commands LOUD, and much louder than if you tried to enunciate the whole word
InquisitorPeregrinus@reddit
I'm still mad about that exchange. Worf or Data would have made more sense. Geordi had spent weeks building a replica of the HMS Victory for his former Captain and string all the rigging. He'd for damn sure know what a stud's'l was.
CaptChristopherJones@reddit
It's cuz everyone was drunk
Greedybogle@reddit
Also this! "All hands sober and accounted for" just meant everyone aboard could stand up. Those ships went through a LOT of booze.
MyEvilTwin47@reddit
The rum's gone. Why's the rum's always gone? (Staggers) … Oh.
itsatrapp71@reddit
I hope you all saw that because I shant be doing it again!
DazzlingClassic185@reddit
Not till 11…
Suckamanhwewhuuut@reddit
Before Port it was Larboard… Starboard and Larboard…. It’s easy to see why it changed.. I just imagine in the thick of it someone kept yelling Larboard and the person handling the wheel was asking for clarification “Starboard or Larboard” over and over and the other guy got fed up and yell fucking “Port dude”
Mikey24941@reddit
Which season is this in?
majingetta@reddit (OP)
Generations movie.
Gryphon1171@reddit
Listen it's not often that Riker finds a new kink, he was trying to figure out how to mount the poopdeck
SplendidPunkinButter@reddit
What’s a stunsel?
Garf_artfunkle@reddit
Short for "studdingsail", auxiliary sails run out to either side of the larger regulars sails, to add even more sail area in light winds. You can see them next to the main topsails and topgallants in the schematic posted above.
KevMenc1998@reddit
It's also a quote from the movie.
HardDrizzle@reddit
Go on over to r/aubreymaturinseries and ask
WhoMe28332@reddit
It’s neither as active nor as informed but one could also attempt to visit r/Hornblower
JGG5@reddit
A glass of wine with you, sir!
foxxxtail999@reddit
Use this handy chart to lean more about ship rigging (sorry for the marginal quality — it’s the best image I could find):
Garf_artfunkle@reddit
What a load of lubber trash.
That's not where the sleg is.
foxxxtail999@reddit
I think they got the spimtuzzles wrong too.
BILLCLINTONMASK@reddit
This movie is so poorly written lol. Why go through the trouble to create this period piece promotion ceremony and then ask the computer to do anything to the plank? Regardless of if he used the correct terminology, he should have ordered crewman to retract/remove the plank.
slinger301@reddit
Because he wanted Worf to get dunked. The whole point of the ceremony is for the officer to get promoted (yay!) and then plopped into the sea (haha!).
That's also why his apology was so superficial (ohh yes, my bad 😉sorry!)
BILLCLINTONMASK@reddit
Obviously that’s the point of the scene. My issue is that he shouldn’t have asked the computer to do it. He’s not ordering the computer to rig the sails in the screenshot above, for instance. So why ask it to remove/retract the plank?
DreadLindwyrm@reddit
Because he's being (an acceptable level of) a dick to Worf.
And it allows for a moment of humour that isn't there if he orders a crewman to do it.
It might even have become tradition to have the computer do it over the many years that they've had holodecks available, assuming the newly promoted officer doesn't fall in trying to get his hat.
BILLCLINTONMASK@reddit
No, it’s just a poorly written scene.
They wanted to do a “the computer takes things too literally” joke and a “these future people don’t know the correct period terminology” joke.
Except they undermine it by having him use proper sailing terminology (see screenshot) and orders someone other than the computer to carry it out.
slinger301@reddit
If people did it, Worf could react and avoid the dunk. Since the computer did it immediately, Worf got dunked.
That simple.
BILLCLINTONMASK@reddit
Riker was supposed to order the plank to be retracted. Which, computer or person, would have given him time to react as you said.
slinger301@reddit
Exactly right. So he "accidentally" (yeah, sure) had the computer delete it instead to ensure that Worf would get dunked, rather than leave it to chance a second time.
BILLCLINTONMASK@reddit
You just don’t understand what I’m saying. At all.
slinger301@reddit
Feeling is mutual. Good day.
wanderingmonster@reddit
T'gansul? I went to the Academy with a guy named T'gansul. Half Klingon, half Vulcan, all annoying.
slinger301@reddit
Here's a link describing those nautical terms in good detail.
This scene was my first thought when watching this video.
manchuck@reddit
The name of a Vulcan
curiousitymdg@reddit
I learned something new today. Thanks, redditors!
eris_kallisti@reddit
I was looking at it thinking it was clearly a female Vulcan name, so thanks to all who knew for clearing that up
Republiconline@reddit
Drtikol42@reddit
All I know from watching Blacks Sail is, when t´gallants are set, shit is about to get real.
BobbyP27@reddit
On a square rigged ship, from bottom upwards, the sails are named "course", "topsail", "topgallant" and "royal" (there are a few other names). In ship terminology a lot of words are heavily abbreviated, eg boatswain -> bosun, gunwale -> gunnel. Topgallant is generally t'gallant. Generally you would set topsails as the first choice: they are smaller and quite effective, and add courses, then topgallants to add power. Presumably the topsails are already set, so he's saying set the topgallant and course sails.
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quigongingerbreadman@reddit
https://i.redd.it/67jdi3dqgyre1.gif
kank84@reddit
So this is what Google AI says (so take it with a pinch of salt) :
T'gansuls and courses, stand by the braces!" is a nautical phrase meaning "All hands, make sail! Stand by the braces!".
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
"T'gansuls"
is a shortened form of "T'gallant" which refers to the highest sail on a ship's mast.
"Courses"
refers to the main sails of a ship.
"Stand by the braces"
is a command to prepare the braces, which are ropes used to steer the sails and keep the ship stable.
In summary,
the phrase "T'gansuls and courses, stand by the braces!" is a command to prepare the ship for sailing, specifically to raise the highest sails and prepare the braces to control them.