shipshape and Bristol fashion
Syllables: ship·shape and Bri·stol fash·ion/ˈʃɪpʃeɪp n̩ ˌbɹɪstəl ˈfæʃn̩//ˈʃɪpˌʃeɪp n̩ ˌbɹɪstəl ˈfæʃən/
shipshape and Bristol fashion adjective: of a vessel: tidy, and with its equipment in good order, properly stowed, etc.; shipshape.
Adjective
shipshape and Bristol fashion (not comparable)
- Of a vessel: tidy, and with its equipment in good order, properly stowed, etc.; shipshape.
- It was there I first got alongside of Moll [a ship]. She is as pretty a girl as ever stepped between the stem and stern of a vessel. And to see her upon a lee-shore! It made me change colour in the face like a dolphin. "My box of diamonds," says I to the girl, "this is neither ship-shape, nor...[1803, John Davis, “Voyage from Baltimore in Maryland, to Cowes in the Isle of Wight”, in Travels of Four Years and a Half in the United States of America; during 1798, 1799, 1800, 1801, and 1802....
- L'Atriveda Spanish privateer, which has been in our harbour several weeks, is now completely refitted in all the graces of "ship shape and Bristol fashion," and on the point of sailing for whatever chances the fortune of war may bestow.1823 August 23, “Paris, Aug. 19”, in The Times, number 11,958, London: G[eorge] Bell, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2, column 3
- Neatly and properly arranged or organized; neat and tidy, tidy.
- He must be a little dictator. In all well-run businesses there is such a man. In the Secret Service, it is Paymaster Captain Troop, RN Retired, Head of Admin., whose job it is, in his own words, ‘to keep the place shipshape and Bristol fashion’.1957 April 8, Ian Fleming, “The Soft Life”, in From Russia, with Love, London: Pan Books, published 1959 (1963 printing), →OCLC, part 2 (The Execution), page 82
- She [Segovia] looks like a fine old clipper ship, there in the morning sun, full-rigged, full-blown, ship-shape and Bristol-fashion.1964, James Morris, “Four Cities”, in The Presence of Spain, New York, N.Y.: Harcourt, Brace & World, →OCLC, page 94
- Synonyms:
- all Sir Garnet, squared away, Bristol fashion and shipshape, in order, neat, neat and tidy, neat as a new pin, neat as a pin, nice as ninepence, orderly
- Antonyms:
- chaotic, cluttered, disorderly, messy, ree-raw, riotous, sluttish, tempestuous, tumultuary, tumultuous
Adverb
shipshape and Bristol fashion (not comparable)
- In a neat and tidy, or proper, manner; properly, tidily.
- It is often the custom of men-of-war's men, when they deem anything to be going on wrong aboard ship, to refer to last cruise, when of course everything was done shipshape and Bristol fashion.1850, Herman Melville, “Jack Chase”, in White Jacket; or, The World in a Man-of-War, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 18
- Everything Bob did was done shipshape and Bristol fashion, which is to say, as well as it was possible for a first-class seaman to do it.1923 June 16, Captain Dingle [pseudonym; Aylward Edward Dingle], “One Fathom of Rope”, in George Horace Lorimer, editor, The Saturday Evening Post, volume 195, number 51, Philadelphia, Pa.; London...
Synonyms of shipshape and Bristol fashion
- all Sir Garnet
- squared away
- in order
- neat
- neat and tidy
- neat as a new pin
- neat as a pin
- nice as ninepence
- orderly
- regular
11 more synonymsFewer synonyms
Antonyms
Forms of shipshape and Bristol fashion
| alternative form | Bristol fashion and shipshape |
|---|---|
| alternative form | ship-shape and Bristol-fashion |
Origin of shipshape and Bristol fashion
As regards the adjective, Bristol was the most prosperous port of west-coast Britain, and its shipping was regarded as maintained at a high quality. The adverb is probably derived from the adjective as it is first attested slightly later.
Words that rhyme with shipshape and Bristol fashion
Questions about shipshape and Bristol fashion
- What does shipshape and Bristol fashion mean?
- Shipshape and Bristol fashion means of a vessel: tidy, and with its equipment in good order, properly stowed, etc.; shipshape.
- What part of speech is shipshape and Bristol fashion?
- Shipshape and Bristol fashion can be an adjective or an adverb.
- How do you pronounce shipshape and Bristol fashion?
- Shipshape and Bristol fashion is pronounced /ˈʃɪpʃeɪp n̩ ˌbɹɪstəl ˈfæʃn̩/ (UK).
Words near shipshape and Bristol fashion in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: shipshape and Bristol fashion (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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