ship of state
noun
a nation or its affairs likened to a ship under sail.
Origin of ship of state
First recorded in 1665–75
Words nearby ship of state
ship biscuit,
ship canal,
ship chandler,
ship decanter,
ship money,
ship of state,
ship of the line,
ship of war,
ship out,
ship's articles,
ship's biscuit
Idioms and Phrases with ship of state
ship of state
The nation, as in We can't help but wonder who will be steering our ship of state a hundred years from now. This metaphoric expression was first recorded in English in a translation of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince (1675).