"Translation of phrase in WI Issue 316" Topic

Greetings all,

Just received the February issue of WI. I am left wondering what's next for Mr. Ringrose. Seriously, large model ships and a Napoleonic naval game on a 22 foot by 6 foot table?!

In the piece on the new ZULU supplement for Black Powder, Jim Graham said the following: ". . . and you have to love anyone who can use a "coxless four" analogy to explain the lack of hierarchy in the game . . . "

Which leads me to wonder, what is meant by "coxless four"?

Thanks for interpreting.

Chris

It's a term from the sport of Olympic rowing. A "cox" is a small person who sits in the boat with the rowers calling the stroke and keeping an eye on what the opposition are up to – so a "coxless four" is a team of four rowers without the benefit of a cox.

And it's short for "coxswain"

Is it an obscure reference in England, or only here in the states (and maybe everywhere else in the world the magazine is sold)?

I, a Scot, would know such a reference. I think any one into rowing as a sport any where in the world would.. As the US got a bronze medal in the last Olympics I would have thought that at least some their would recognise the references.

x42

Most people in Britain would recognise it, if only for the snigger factor when watching the Olympics…….

Thanks very much for responding and translating. Appreciate it.

On a somewhat related note, I wonder if there would be interest in a short piece in one of the magazines about wargaming language and or terms? To a large extent, some of the lingo seems universal. In other respects, the language seems pretty specific.

Just wondering . . .

Thanks again.