Posted by Dan Lind on February 22, 2002 at 01:09:42 from 24.83.252.185:
"In the Black Ball line I served my time,
To me hoodah. To me hoodah...."
sings Commander Walker in WD as he sails Goblin back to England from Holland. I accidently came across 'howdah' or 'houdah' in my dictionary. It means, "a seat or platform for one or more persons, commonly with a railing and a canopy, placed on the back of an elephant."
Do you all think these hoodahs/howdahs/houdahs are the same and if so, why would the name for a platform on an elephant come up in a sea chanty?