[Phrase of the week] Jump Ship: What does it mean, dude?

"You know it's hard out here for a pimp

When you trying get this money for the rent

For the Cadallics and gas money spent

Will cause a whole lotta bitches jumping ship"

Here’s a short story:

“Leaving a close-knit business is never an easy choice. If the supervisors have managed their crew, or staff, with equanimity and sound ethical judgment those employees will dedicate themselves to the failing business in hopes of restoring the profitability rather than merely choosing to Jump Ship.”

Do you, my dear reader, happen to know the meaning of JUMP SHIP?

No? Well, let me teach you that one, then.

Sometimes, especially when we are sick of doing something over and over again, we have that (bad) feeling that our job is useless or unfruitful, right?

If you have ever felt like that, you are not alone. I can guarantee that! Most of us have, pretty often, the very same feeling.

What can you do in situations like that? Some of us simply copy with it pretty well. However, other can’t. They simply give up. Leave it behind and move on, on and on.

Let’s start with some examples:

“None of the editors liked the new policies, so they all jumped ship as soon as other jobs opened up.”

“Another advertising agency offered him $1000 to jump ship.”

“If something becomes available elsewhere. The original star of the TV series jumped ship after the first season.”

“Although most of our employees are satisfied with their jobs, half of them would probably jump ship.”

“I hope they won't be tempted, on the back of one disappointing year, to jump ship.”

“He almost had an urge to jump ship when he got in trouble something that was once trivial.”

“Ian Miller and Captain Steve Foster were the only two players not to jump ship after the Quakers went into financial meltdown this summer.”

Have you ever jumped ship?

Literally*, JUMP SHIP means “to leave one's job on a ship and fail to be aboard it when it sails.” (The free dictionary by Farlex)

However, in figurative language* it means “Leave an organization, group, company/institution, movement, proposal, or idea.” (Urban Dictionary)

Therefore, we use jump ship when one leaves a job or an activity before it is complete or done. In doing so, it means that the job is not going to be finished by you. It is left for someone else to do it. You literally jumped the ship! What are you going to do when shit hits the fan? Keep going like nothing has happened or jump ship?

*JUST IN CASE: LITERAL AND FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE.

[From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia]

Literal language uses words directly according to their proper meanings (signified).

Figurative (or non-literal) language uses words in figures of speech: for example, through metaphor or analogy, metonymy, overstatement, understatement, comparison, multiple meanings, or referring to some common linguistic or cultural reference.

I hope you have enjoyed this one. Make sure more people will learn how to use Jump Ship properly. Share this post, won’t you?

Professor Bruno Coriolano has written this post. If you want to know more about his professional life, please ((click here))

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