Did you ever wonder where the term "taken aback" came from?
"Taken aback" means to be surprised unexpectedly. I comes from the days of sail and refers to a sudden change of wind presing the sails against the masts and spars. In this state the ship was "Taken aback". When a sail ship encounters as aback, it slows considerably and can even be driven backwards. Not a good position for a man o'war!
