The phrase "no room for a pin" is a form of humor to say we are in a very limited space, although the origin is not as fun, especially if you were a criminal in the eyes of the British Navy.

The penalties in the sea is often conducted with a type of whip with nine knotted cords, called a cat of nine tails. If being punished the sailor was in a small space, there would be room to swing a cat, hence the phrase. A current example would be: "This place is so full that there is no room to swing a cat. "

Throughout history, there have been variations on this particular language. Someone may say: "No room to swing a cat here," As indicated above, or "There is room to swing a dead cat [now known as DC] here," although the origin of the inclusion of "death" in the phrase is unclear.

This language has also evolved in the expression "can not give without a DC Hit …", ie an excess of something in the immediate area. For example, "unable to give a DC in Seattle without hitting a Starbucks."

The origin of this particular variation on the cat "dead" phrase may be of U.S. origin, as is the phrase "DC Bounce", which means a sign misleading vitality into something that is currently in decline. The idea behind this change is only DC does not bounce, but if dropped from a height much it may seem. This term was coined in the late 20th century by traders from Wall Street to describe a situation in which a stock or long-term business, the trend down suddenly shows a small transient improvement.

In literature, Mark Twain referred to step in "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer "as a remedy for warts.

Rose Holck is an Elementary Technology Teacher and Librarian, but in her other life she loves writing about history and enjoys freelance writing. She has been published in special editions of The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research and Teaching Librarian Magazine. She also currently blogs about liquid libations at http://www.cocktailsandwine.com

Visit http://www.cocktailsandwine.com for fun and informative articles on cocktails, wine and beer.

Seattle Adventures Part 2