/ · 1894 Brewer’s · A · Able
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
An able seaman is a skilled seaman. Such a man is termed an A.B. (Able-Bodied); unskilled seamen are called “boys” without regard to age.
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.
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