POSH

Heyaaa..!!!

We all must have used this word (or rather, phrase as you will read further).. POSH society..POSH this..and POSH that...!!

Well.. let me tell you.. POSH is basically an acronym for Port Out, Starboard Home.

Starboard refers to the right side of a vessel as perceived by a person on board facing the front. The equivalent for the left-hand side is Port.

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P. & O.), which from 1842 to 1970 was the major steamship carrier of passengers and mail between England and India. The P. & O. route went through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. The cabins on the port side on the way to India got the morning sun and had the rest of the day to cool off, while starboard ones got the afternoon sun, and were still quite hot at bedtime. On the return trip, the opposite was true. The cooler cabins, therefore, were the more desirable and were reserved for the most important and richest travelers. Their tickets were stamped P.O.S.H. to indicate these accommodations—in large violet letters, according to one recollection.

Thus, POSH derives itself from the incident. And hence, the meaning  elegant, swanky, or rich...

Isn't it interesting...????