[Paddlewise] Dead (Ded) reckoning

Found this on the web site:

http://www.free-definition.com/Dead-reckoning.html


"There is some controversy about the derivation of the phrase. It is 
popularly thought to come from *deduced reckoning* and is sometimes 
given in modern sources as *ded reckoning*. However, according to the 
/Oxford English Dictionary/, the phrase /dead reckoning/ dates from 
Elizabethan times (1605-1615).

The folk etymology from /deduced/ is not documented in the /OED/ or any 
other historical dictionary. Dead reckoning is navigation without 
stellar observation. With stellar observation, you are "live", working 
with the stars and the movement of the planet. With logs, compasses, 
clocks, but no sky, you are working "dead"."

Also, the US coast guard auxiliary site uses "dead reckoning".

Regards,
Kevin.
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