Jackspeak of the Royal Canadian Navy

Nelson's Blood

A term for "Rum". There is a legend that states that following Horatio Nelson's victory and death at the Battle of Trafalgar, his body was preserved in a cask of rum. When the cask arrived in England, there was no rum in the cask. It was discovered that the sailors had drilled a hole in the bottom of the cask and had drunk all the rum, hence the term "Nelson's Blood". The details of the story are disputed, as many historians claim the cask contained French brandy. Still, the nickname happily persists.

Added: 2014-11-01 Last modified: 2014-11-01