whatever floats your boat

English

Etymology

The earliest evidence hints that figurative use of the phrase originated among pleasure boaters in the USA.[1][2]

Pronunciation

  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Interjection

whatever floats your boat

  1. (originally US) Do whatever makes you happy or stimulates you.
    Synonym: suit yourself
    • 2025 May 17, James Parker, “Return of the Shaman”, in The Atlantic‎[2], →ISSN:
      You can achieve a non-ordinary or altered state with drugs, drumming, dancing, fasting, meditation, whatever floats your boat—floats it into the beyond, that is.
    • 2025, “The Hymn of the North”, in Jarvis Cocker (lyrics), More, performed by Pulp:
      You can fill your life with love / You can fill your life with owt / You can fill your lifе with food and drink / Or whatever floats your boat

Derived terms

See also

References

  1. ^ Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Florida, 23 September 1979, page 142: “You are the ultimate interior decorator for your boat. Remember there are no hard and fast rules, just go with whatever floats your boat.”
  2. ^ “Origin of "Whatever floats your boat"”, in English Language & Usage Stack Exchange‎[1], (Can we date this quote?)

Further reading

  • Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, Fred R. Shapiro, editors (2012), “Whatever floats your boat”, in The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs, New Haven: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 23
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