Kilburne, George Goodwin (b,1839)- Making Pass (or, Mayhap, Borrowing Money for Cards)

Making a Pass

She’s standing there, you’re standing there. You smile, she smiles. You go ahead and decide to make a pass. You walk over and give her your best line, “How you doin’?” She laughs and walks away. As she leaves you think to yourself, “Where did make a pass come from?” Which is probably why she walked away.

Seriously though, back in the Age of Sail, when the tall ships ruled the ocean, it was not uncommon for two ships to move in close in order to size each other up. They would usually make a side-on pass to gauge each other. Sometimes there would be a fight and sometimes not.

So every time you “make a pass” you are basically re-enacting an age-old maritime tradition. Hopefully with fewer canons being involved.