The Old Man of the sea
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
A creature en- countered by Sinbad the Sailor in his fifth voyage (Arabian Nights). This terrible Old Man got on Sinbad's back, and would neither dismount nor could be shaken off.
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 “The Old Man of the sea” mean?
A creature en- countered by Sinbad the Sailor in his fifth voyage (Arabian Nights). This terrible Old Man got on Sinbad's back, and would neither dismount nor could be shaken off.
Is “The Old Man of the sea” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.