And now for something completely different…

Let’s take a break from news about ports, carrier alliances, ILWU contracts, and other international shipping news stories to be, as would make Monty Python proud, silly.

It’s no secret that most people find international shipping to be a boring topic. At the very least, most people aren’t overly interested in international shipping and don’t know much about it.

Some might even argue that those who are into international shipping are not the most interesting people. Don’t worry, Universal Cargo Management does not agree with this line of reasoning.

However, we thought it might be fun to see how “more interesting people” define some important terms of international shipping.

So, with the help of UrbanDictionary.com, let’s compare international shipping definitions with their urban definition counterparts.

Let’s start with something simple:

shipping

We all know that shipping is the transport of goods, often by an ocean cargo carrier but also includes by air, truck, and rail. Well, not so fast.

Urban Dictionary’s definition of shipping:

A term used to describe fan fictions that take previously created characters and put them as a pair. It usually refers to romantic relationships, but it can refer platonic [sic] ones as well. (Just think of “shipping” as short for “relationSHIP”.)

It generally uses the initials of the characters shipped or a combination of the names, though this is not a rule.

AMshipping
AM-shipping
AM shipping
Ash & Misty shipping
Ashistyshipping

My wife already knew this definition and adds that it also refers to wishing for a romantic relationship between two fictional characters (other Urban Dictionary definitions agree).

For example, my wife is shipping Samwise and Frodo from Lord of the Rings, Joey and Chandler from Friends, and Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy from some series of books or maybe movies. What’s with all the man on man love, honey?

Freight

You might have thought freight was the cargo you are shipping, but Urban Dictionary enlightens us to its true meaning.

Urban Dictionary’s definition of freight:

a women [sic] that has a nice round butt.

That girl has some freight going on.

Look, she is pushing some freight.

Freights

We wouldn’t normally have an ‘s’ at the end of the word freight in international shipping, but to be fair to Urban Dictionary, its definition of this word shows that it does seem to know the international shipping version of freight.

Urban Dictionary’s definition of freights:

slang or poor english for “freight” a non-specific name for an undetermined commodity. Typically used when knowledge of proper transportation terminology is unknown.

“These freights will not drop until tomorrow”

TEU

This is a term we use all the time in international shipping.

Logistics Glossary definition of TEU:

Twenty-foot equivalent unit. Method of measuring vessel load or capacity, in units of containers that are twenty feet long. A 40’ long container measures 2 TEUs.

Urban Dictionary’s definition of TEU:

TEU (Throw Em’ Up)

There’s often those times when tea-bagging a friend, or getting epic revenge on a dirty ex deserves some recognition. These are times when not one middle finger will suffice, but the almighty double.

Term coined by doublemiddle.com

This Idiot got me angry…So I TEU

But check this out. UrbanDictionary.com also knows what a TEU is in terms of international shipping and found a way to make it more interesting.

Urban Dictionary’s definition that merges with international shipping’s definition of TEU:

1. Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit. A shipping container 20 feet long, 8 feet high, and 8 1/2 feet wide, used all over the shipping industry (the standard size makes them very interchangeable and stackable).

2. A person who is so standard for the society that they live in that they resemble a TEU in terms of interchangeability and stackability.

1. He died after an accident with a crane and a TEU.

2. He canceled his vacation because his boss didn’t want him to go to Amsterdam… what a TEU!

Slot

Logistics Glossary definition of slot:

A place for a container onboard a container ship; typically, one TEU fits in a slot.

Now, Urban Dictionary has many definitions for this word. Most I wouldn’t post here because they are a bit misogynistic. However, the top definition is okay to include with just a tiny bit of censoring.

Urban Dictionary’s definition of slot:

slang used in the British armed forces meaning to kill or shoot

Soldier 1: [censored] that was bad, that wanker nearly slotted me!
soldier 2: aye, well if i see him again ill slot the [censored] for sure.

That’s all the terms we have time for today; however, if you enjoyed this, we’ll do it more. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.