sideboy
Etymology
From side + boy.
sideboy means One of an even-numbered group of seamen posted in two rows on the quarterdeck when a visiting dignitary boards or leaves the ship, historically to help (or even hoist) him aboard. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 86 out of 100.
Why this word is great
SIDEBOY — [Noun] A sailor stationed on the quarterdeck as part of an honor guard for a dignitary boarding or leaving a ship; or, in American parlance, a small, freestanding cabinet for decanters and glassware. From the English words side (referring to the flank or position) and boy (a young male servant or attendant), a plain compound describing a boy or man positioned at the side. Unlike an "honor guard" (a formal, structured unit) or a "steward" (a general attendant with varied duties), the sideboy is a specific, solitary post within the rigid choreography of naval ceremony. It is the ramrod-straight figure against the painted rail, the polished brass of a bosun's call, the sudden, sharp tableau of tradition interrupting the ordinary shipboard morning—a vessel for protocol, empty until duty fills it. Later, ashore, his name was borrowed for the lacquered mahogany cabinet holding its quiet amber vigil; in both senses, a thing stationed off to the side, holding a space for ceremony the world has largely forgotten.
noun
- One of an even-numbered group of seamen posted in two rows on the quarterdeck when a visiting dignitary boards or leaves the ship, historically to help (or even hoist) him aboard.
- A small dresser; a drinks cabinet.“He had a nice breath. Haig and Haig at least. ‘You've been at the sideboy again,’ I said.”