take care of the lee hatch
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A warning to the helmsman to beware lest the ship goes to the leeward of her course — i.e. the part towards which the wind blows.
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 “take care of the lee hatch” mean?
A warning to the helmsman to beware lest the ship goes to the leeward of her course — i.e. the part towards which the wind blows.
Is “take care of the lee hatch” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.