a nice situation or fortune
Preserved but no longer current.
The place in which a ship is anchored is called its berth, and the sailors call it a good or bad berth as they think it favourable or otherwise. The space also allotted to a seaman for his ham- mock is called his berth.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “a nice situation or fortune” mean?
The place in which a ship is anchored is called its berth, and the sailors call it a good or bad berth as they think it favourable or otherwise. The space also allotted to a seaman for his ham- mock is called his berth.
Is “a nice situation or fortune” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.