Merry Dun of Dover
Preserved but no longer current.
In Scandinavian folk- tale, an enormous ship which knocked down Calais steeple in passing through the Straits of Dover, while the pennant swept a flock of sheep off Dover cliffs into the sea. The masts were so lofty that a boy who ascended them would grow grey before he could reach deck again.
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 “Merry Dun of Dover” mean?
In Scandinavian folk- tale, an enormous ship which knocked down Calais steeple in passing through the Straits of Dover, while the pennant swept a flock of sheep off Dover cliffs into the sea. The masts were so lofty that a boy who ascended them would grow grey before he could reach deck again.
Is “Merry Dun of Dover” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.