To pass through a sieve. Because sieves are made of mesh, the concept of using a sieve as a sailing vessel seems ludicrous. In a Sieve they went to sea: In spite of all their friends could say, On a winter’s morn, on a stormy day, In a Sieve they went to sea! In a Sieve they went to sea! In Greek επι ριπους πλειν, ' to go to sea in a sieve,' was a proverbial expression for an enterprise of extreme hazard or impossible of achievement. And when the Sieve turned round and round, And every one cried, `You’ll all be drowned!’ They called aloud, `Our Sieve ain’t big, But we don’t care a button! Cambridge Dictionary +Plus So in English tradition, the sailing sieve is rather closely connected to black magic. - quote by Edward Lear on YourDictionary. They sail’d away in a sieve, they did, 15 In a sieve they sail’d so fast, With only a beautiful pea-green veil Tied with a ribbon, by way of a sail, To a small tobacco-pipe mast. we don’t care a fig! Learn more. THEY went to sea in a sieve, they did; In a sieve they went to sea; And they went to sea in a sieve. To use a sieve; sift. In a Sieve we'll go to sea!' To begin with, the ironic plot of the poem helps the reader to understand the boldness of the Jumblies’ choices. sieve definition: 1. a tool consisting of a wood, plastic, or metal frame with a wire or plastic net attached to it…. They went to sea in a sieve, they did In a sieve they went to sea. V: They sailed to the Western Sea, they did, To a land all covered with trees, And they bought an Owl, and a useful Cart, And a pound of Rice, and … And when the Sieve turned round and round, And every one cried, ‘You’ll all be drowned!’ They called aloud, ‘Our Sieve ain’t big, But we don’t care a button! Learn more. “they went to sea in a sieve, they did” By Shannon Proudfoot In 1969, Donald Crowhurst fooled the world into believing he was completing the fastest non-stop solo circumnavigation of … v.intr. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. we don’t care a fig! sieve (sɪv) n 1. Are the lands where the Jumblies live; Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve. [Middle English sive, from Old English sife.] The Jumblies - They went to sea in a Sieve, they did, They went to sea in a Sieve, they did, - The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. Buy Going to Sea in a Sieve: The Autobiography 1st by Baker, Danny (ISBN: 9780297863403) from Amazon's Book Store. Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live; Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve. In the first line of the poem, it is established that the Jumblies “went to sea in a sieve”. In a sieve we’ll go to sea!’ Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live; Their heads are green, and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve. ing, sieves v.tr.