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Phrase(s): flotsam and jetsam
1. Lit. the floating wreckage of a ship and its cargo, or floating cargo deliberately cast overboard to stabilize a ship in a rough sea. • All sorts of flotsam and jetsam washed up on the beach. 2. Fig. worthless matter; worthless encumbrances. • His mind is burdened with the flotsam and jetsam of many years of poor instruction and lax study habits. • Your report would be better if you could get rid of a lot of the flotsam and jetsam and clean up the grammar a bit.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
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1. Discarded odds and ends, as in Most of our things have been moved to the new house, but there's still some flotsam and jetsam to sort. [Mid-1800s] 2. Destitute, homeless individuals, as in The mayor was concerned about the flotsam and jetsam of the inner city. [Second half of 1900s] Both words originated in 17th-century sailing terminology. Flotsam literally meant "wreckage or cargo that remains afloat after a ship has sunk." Jetsam meant "goods thrown overboard from a ship in danger of sinking in order to give it more buoyancy." Both literal meanings remain current, although the distinction between them is often forgotten.
American Heritage Idioms