The Straight Dope: What do “drawn and quartered” and “keelhauling” mean?

[Send questions for Cecil Adams: cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com) FOLLOW CECIL ADAMS ON [TWITTER]( AND [FACEBOOK](! [950804.gif] THREADSPOTTING: THE BEST OF THE STRAIGHT DOPE MESSAGE BOARD — 09/13/2019 A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, people had a barbecue. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #1 — 08/04/1995 Dear Cecil: Could you please provide detailed definitions of the terms "drawn and quartered" and "keelhauling"? The former conjures up images of having cartoons drawn on one's body before being pelted with pocket change. The latter could refer to being bound to the underside of a ship, boat, barge, whatever. My daughter's Disney movie (Peter Pan) refers to both — didn't they think kids would eventually have access to the Internet? — Ted Jankowski, via the Internet Cecil replies: We’d all better brush up on this stuff — if they’re bringing back the chain gang, can keelhauling be far behind? Not that the latter is a realistic possibility if they nab you for jaywalking in Omaha. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #2 — 04/23/2004 Dear Cecil: Having just finished watching Pirates of the Caribbean I am wondering about cannonballs. It seems that Hollywood always has them exploding on contact. How is it that a solid iron ball explodes? You would need a hollowed ball filled with TNT, wouldn't you? And if you have a cannonball that's hollow, how do you fill it without an opening? And if you make an opening, how do you seal it? Finally, how do you keep it from exploding when fired from the cannon? — daedalys, via the Internet Cecil replies Seriously now, daedalys. (By the way, not to be old-fashioned, but would it be asking too much for you people to conclude your letters with, say, a proper name?) How many times do I have to tell you — there’s Hollywood, there’s real life, and the two only accidentally coincide. Particularly, if I may say so, in the case of Pirates of the Caribbean. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC #3 — 01/17/2014 Dear Cecil: It seems pirates have made a comeback, and so with great excitement, and possibly a bit of delusion, I've decided to become one. How much would it cost to buy or commission a ship of the line, fully stocked with cannons, cannonballs, food, muskets, rifles, gunpowder, and crew of 300? Is it legal to purchase all of this? — Howard Grao, London Cecil replies: We need to think this through, Howard. I understand the appeal of piracy in the Jack Sparrow mold, although I personally could skip the eyeliner. However, one must ask whether tricorn-and-parrot-type piracy is a paying proposition in the modern age. Let’s start with the ship [Click here]( for more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [View this message as a webpage](. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To advertise on The Straight Dope, contact Rich Hummel at rhummel@suntimes.com [Privacy Policy/Terms of Use]( • [Unsubscribe]( © 2019 Straight Dope, LLC. 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607