Plimsoll line

September 22, 2015 1:28 PM

I'm thinking of getting a Plimsoll line tattoo. Does this symbol have any other connotations I should know about?

I was totally inspired by the 99% Invisible episode about Plimsoll. It feels really right for a lot of reasons that would be hard to explain here. But I'd rather know now if there are any other symbols it looks like or connotations I haven't thought of, positive or negative.

I'm thinking of getting it either without the letters at all (just the circle with the line through it) or with the LR (Lloyd's Register) or AB (for the American Bureau of Shipping).

Thanks.

posted by roll truck roll to Media & Arts (6 answers total)

Are you getting it on your face or neck? I feel like anywhere else wouldn't be an accurate representation of available freeboard, unless you're extremely buoyant— ie if the Plimsoll line is underwater when your craft (you) are in the water, there's a problem.

I really like the idea, though.
posted by a halcyon day at 1:42 PM on September 22, 2015 [5 favorites]

It looks a little like the London Underground logo. If it's on a part of your body where it could be easily read at a 90 degree angle (like your arm), it looks like a phi and you may be mistaken for a math nerd.
posted by theodolite at 1:45 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

The addition of a vertical line would turn it into a Neo-Nazi Celtic Cross. So there's that.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:12 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

you may be mistaken for a math nerd
or a philosophy nerd.
posted by bricoleur at 3:16 PM on September 22, 2015 [1 favorite]

I also immediately thought of the London Underground. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something you might get used to explaining!
posted by jaguar at 3:58 PM on September 22, 2015

(You're totally going to float in some water to decide where it should be located, right?)
posted by mon-ma-tron at 5:05 PM on September 22, 2015 [12 favorites]