roaring forties en · NOUN
Meanings
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(plural, plural-only) The area of the earth between 40 and 50 degrees south, prone to gale-force westerly winds.
Its official demarcation is forty degrees south latitude. It includes the latitudes sailors long-ago nicknamed the roaring forties, the furious fifties, and the screaming sixties. It's an area of almost constant high wind and frequent gales, often exceeding hurricane strength.
1998, Derek Lundy, chapter 1, in Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters, page 5:
Relateds
screaming sixties · furious fifties
Translations (1)
fr quarantièmes rugissants (area of the earth between 40 and 50 degrees south)