Wednesday Nautical Terms and Phrases: Black Book

As a consequence of your actions you offend someone and thus are “listed in their black book.”

From Brian Berlin…

From the 1300′s – a collection of maritime laws and conduct that became known as the Black Book of the Admiralty. The punishments for offenses was harsh, to say the least. Drowning, starvation, and marooning were punishments for serious offenses such as repeatedly sleeping on watch.