Port Out Starboard Home

In the department of interesting movie trivia, I recently heard a possibly apocryphal story explaining both the origins of the word "posh" and the somewhat nonsensical lyrics of the "Posh, Posh" song in the much-loved film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (imdb). As the story goes, rich travelers sailing between Colonial India and Great Britain would pay extra for the priviledge of a cabin on the port side going out and the starboard coming home, as the peculiarities of the route would put the cabin in the shade for much of the Indian Ocean leg of the trip. Only the richest, most picky passengers could pay, however, so the modern definition of "posh" as "Smart, fashionable" with a subtle connotation of picky superiority followed from that original acronym of Port Out Starboard Home, supposedly printed on the higher-priced tickets. There seems to be a lack of concrete evidence for the practice, but the explanation certainly appeals to the imagination--and the rhyme.

This is livin', this is style
This is elegance by the mile

Oh the posh posh traveling life
The traveling life for me
First cabin and captain's table regal company
Whenever I'm bored I travel abroad
But ever so properly
Port out, starboard home
Posh with a capital P-O-S-H, posh

The hands that hold the scepters
Every head that holds a crown
They'll always give their all for me
They'll never let me down
I'm on my way to far away tah tah and toodle-oo
And fare thee well, and Bon Voyage arrivederci too

O the posh posh traveling life
The traveling life for me
First cabin and captain's table regal company
Pardon the dust of the upper crust
Fetch us a cup of tea
Port out, starboard home, posh with a capital P-O-S-H, posh

In every foreign strand I land the royal trumpets toot me
The royal welcome mat is out
They 21 gun salute me
But monarchies are constantly commanding me to call
Last month I miffed the Mufti but you can't oblige them all

Oh the posh posh traveling life, the traveling life for me
Oh rumpetly tumpety didy didy dee dee dee dee dee
Oh the posh posh traveling life, the traveling life for me
First cabin and captain's table regal company
When I'm at the helm the world's my realm and I do it stylishly
Port out, starboard home

Posh with a capital P-O-S-H
P-O-S-H, P-O-S-H...

(lyrics from http://www.lyrics-n-tunes.com/lyrics/chitty_posh.html)

Whether the story is historically valid or not it does explain the song beautifully. I enjoyed hearing this and just wanted to pass it on to you.

John Calvin Young