The term "whale's mouth"

[Bill Doms]

Does anyone know who coined this phrase and when?

 

[Skip Talbot]

I believe its German for "San Diego"... actually, scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.

 

[Bill Doms]

More specifically, when did it become a structure/chasing term? Who started it? I heard my dad use it back in the late 70's / early 80's.

 

[Doug Lee]

Maybe Jonah had something to do with it?

Probably not!

 

[Skip Talbot]

It sounds like a colloqiual term that probably doesn't have a traceable origin.

 

[cdcollura]

I have seen and even used that term pretty often.

The backside of a shelf cloud resembles the shape and appearance of the upper jaw edge and backside of an actual mouth of a whale!

The term itself is very intuitive, based on appearance.

The striations in a real whale's mouth are the baleen, which filters out fish and shrimp the whale feeds on. With a gust front, the scud tags and striations on the backside surface of the shelf cloud sometimes resemble this.

I am not sure who termed the name "Whale's Mouth" originally, maybe one of the first chasers? Jensen? Hoadley? Not sure.

 

[John Wetter]

I think it looks like a .... Oh wait, never mind...

-John

Ahab, gonna go hunt his whale!