fleet in being love

Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun military, navy (countable) A naval fleet which exerts an influence while remaining in port.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

First used in 1690 by British Admiral Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington, in defending his strategy of keeping his fleet in port until reinforcements arrived, rather than engaging with the superior French force.

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