As it has been brought to my attention that not everyone is conversant with some of our more quaint English idioms, I felt that I should explain the use of “making a fist” in my post to Dobbs.

To do or complete something to a degree of satisfaction, primarily heard in UK. Well done boatswain, you and the tars made a good fist of painting the longboat! For an amateur, she didn't make a bad fist of performing as the surgeon’s assistant.

Not to be confused with a Monkey's fist!
A monkey's fist or monkey paw is a type of knot, so named because it looks somewhat like a small bunched fist or paw. It is tied at the end of a rope to serve as a weight, making it easier to throw, and also as an ornamental knot. This type of weighted rope can be used as a hand-to-hand weapon, called a slingshot by sailors.

To make a monkey’s fist of something is taken from the story about a monkey trying to remove nuts from a jar; therefore to make a monkey’s fist of something means to make a complete mess up of a job. It is often shortened to, "well seaman, you have made a complete monkey’s of that my lad". Or some such saying of a similar nature!


Rob.