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tight ship

 - 2 dictionary results
ship   (shĭp)   
n.  

    1. A vessel of considerable size for deep-water navigation.

    2. A sailing vessel having three or more square-rigged masts.

  2. An aircraft or spacecraft.

  3. The crew of one of these vessels.

  4. One's fortune: When my ship comes in, I'll move to a larger house.

v.   shipped, ship·ping, ships

v.   tr.

  1. To place or receive on board a ship: shipped the cargo in the hold.

  2. To cause to be transported by or as if by ship; send. See Synonyms at send1.

  3. To place (a ship's mast or rudder, for example) in its working position.

    1. To bring into a ship or boat: ship an anchor.

    2. To place (an oar) in a resting position inside a boat without removing it from the oarlock.

  5. To hire (a person) for work on a ship.

  6. To take in (water) over the side of a ship.

v.   intr.

  1. To go aboard a ship; embark.

  2. To travel by ship.

  3. To hire oneself out or enlist for service on a ship.

Phrasal Verb(s):
ship out

  1. To accept a position on board a ship and serve as a crew member: shipped out on a tanker.

  2. To leave, as for a distant place: troops shipping out to the war zone.

  3. To send, as to a distant place.

  4. Informal To quit, resign from, or otherwise vacate a position: Shape up or ship out.


Idiom(s):
tight shipA well-managed and efficient business, household, or organization: We run a tight ship.

[Middle English, from Old English scip.]
ship'pa·ble adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

tight ship

A well-managed organization, as in The camp director runs a tight ship. This metaphoric term alludes to a ship in which the ropes are taut and by extension the ship is strictly managed. [Second half of 1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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