Pipe Down

[Randi]

My cousin used to tell me to "pipe down" when he wanted me to shut up. I (and probably he) never knew the origin of the expression: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/283600.html

I see "Pipe Down" often in the Renown log but it is usually mid to late morning so it has nothing to do with retiring for the night. The command is used also to quell a disturbance on deck, by sending the crew below decks. Renown has been in Basin No 3, Portsmouth for at least two months now (April 1923) and there is almost nothing reported in the logs. I guess the crew was getting restless.

I have seen it used at all times of the day, and I think it means the crew can relax on board - I've seen it on Sundays after the church parties get back on board, for example. For ships in port or dry dock, I think it means the crew's work is done for the day - I don't remember seeing any painting or scraping or deck cleaning after the crew has been piped down.

Great! I'm going to write my cousin and tell him that I finally heeded his advice to relax ;D

We had 2 pipe quotes in our family - Pipe down (less belligerent than Shut up) and pipe-clay up the lum (no idea what it means and nor does Google!).

Anyway this was really to say that at 10 p.m. every night the log of H. M.S."Moorhen" (gunboat on the Pearl River 1922) says Piped down and then nothing till the midnight reading.

(I've just looked at how to download the relevant page here and there's no way I am going to try that right now! - far too many either/ors)

Well lum is Scots (well used in Scotland anyway) for 'chimney'. The New Year wish was 'May your lum reek'. Which translates roughly as 'May your chimney smoke' i.e. may you have enough money to keep your fire burning.

Of course you can't tell from my typing that it is being done with a Scots accent! I know what pipeclay is and I know what a lum is - and on thinking more carefully, perhaps the whole phrase is used after a meaningless action or statement (pipeclay would not stay white up a lum). What do you think?

Ah, well if your typing has a scottish font, could it have been a reference to stupid ostentation. So someone lined a chimney with pipe clay to 'impress' the neighbours but it would soon look just as grimey as the standard stuff. Being an English ex-pat up there I wouldn't presume to cast aspersions on the Scottish character.

Studentforever: I think your interpretation is just right but the aspersions are not cast at any particular national characteristic, more like a general human one.
Now back to logs.

Quite, but aren't the diversions fun!

Yes and highly necessary

[AvastMH]

I've been hunting for fun things for new shipopoly cards and tripped over this.
'Pipe down' was a regular comment in our house, especially if someone got a bit too noisy and insistent about something. It never crossed my mind that it might not be in general use. Dad was a RN Petty Artificer so I guess we just took his naval terms as part of everyday language I still use 'pipe down' without even thinking about it.

[ggordon]

I remember several of my teachers telling us to "pipe down" when things started to get out of control. Most of my teachers in the 50s and 60s were veterans from WW2. I don't remember hearing it since then.

[studentforever]

Dad would sometimes refer to 'gash' which I believe is a Naval term for rubbish - a relic from WW2 I suspect.