Head games

It can be very hazardous to go sailing without knowing nautical terminology. I was chatting earlier today with someone whose dad owns a fairly large sailboat. “You can fit two people in one of the heads”, she said, “and the other head can hold three.”

For a few moments I visualized three people crammed into a standard sailboat head. I thought her description was a novel way of emphasizing the luxury of dad's big boat. Then I realized she was confusing “head” with “cabin”. Imagine, if she were to join a crowded boat for a weekend, saying “Oh, I’m fine sleeping up in the forward head…”