Tell It To The Marines
The header image belongs to Heritage Auctions, HA.com. I just love the old WWI-looking helmets, they look so cool and very vintage.
Did you know that the saying “Tell It To The Marines“, is not of American origin? The phrase was actually adopted into the American language from the original British saying, “Tell that (it) to the Marines, because a sailor won’t believe it”.
This legend goes back to London in 1664 when Charles II was King of England. A ship’s master returned from a long cruise and told him a sea story he couldn’t believe.
“Fish that fly like birds?” the Merry Monarch exclaimed. “I have my doubts!”
“Nay, sire, it is true,” said Sir William Killigren, colonel of the new British Marine regiment raised that year. “I have myself seen flying fish many a time in southern waters. I vouch for the truth of this strange tale, your Majesty.”
The King thought it over. At last, he turned to Samuel Pepys, the Secretary of the Admiralty.
“Mr. Pepys,” he said, “no class of our subjects hath such knowledge of odd things on land and sea as our Marines. Hereafter, when we hear a yarn that lacketh likelihood, we will tell it to the Marines. If they believe it, then we shall know it is true.”
Sources:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/
https://www.txdevildog.com/
