Popeye the Sailor Man’s cock
Was so huge, he’d trip as he’d walk;
Though his land-gait was flawed,
Underway his tripod
Steadied him like being in dry dock.
This poem refers to sea legs, which Merriam-Webster defines as “the ability to walk steadily and not feel sick while traveling on a boat or ship” by making “bodily adjustment[s] to the motion.” The assumption here is that “three legs” would be better than two. Seasoned sailors are said to be so accustomed to ship motion that, ironically, walking on dry land takes adjustment. A dry dock is exactly what it sounds like: a dock without water, so that a vessel’s construction, overhauls or repairs are easier and safer to undertake.
