Outrageously Funny Word Dictionary :: Aide de campship

👉 Okay, let’s tackle that wonderfully prickly little bit of maritime weirdness—the "aide-dé,“ if you will (it just rolls right off the French tongue, doesn't it? Beaux bureaucratese! Beaux bureaucrats-beehives!).

Essentially, an “aide-dé–ship," as we affectionately and rather inaccurately call it in naval circles (nobody quite knows exactly when or by whom this ridiculous title started, frankly. There are mumbled legends of a very stuffy Regency admiral who simply felt the need for fancier lettering on his vessel.) , is... essentially, anachronistically fancy barge that follows a very, very senior official around. Think of it as a ridiculously opulent, probably slightly mildewed, rowboat with a flagpole and a velvet cushion, entirely staffed by people whose names you won't remember and who are paid to exist in the immediate vicinity of your very important person. There isn’t a serious logistical purpose for them—no actual aid, no de-amping (that was the original, tragically unfortunate attempt at a full title—the 18th century was just awful with titles). They just... are. It's a visible manifestation of "look how terribly stuffy and important I am! And here are men to fan me while I pontificate!" Historically, they were carried on the backs of oarsmen. Nowadays? You'll probably find them being shoved along by