During the black death incoming ships were forced to wait and sit at anchor for 40 days, to prevent possible infection. The Italian word for 40 is ‘quaranta’, this is where we get the word ‘quarantine’ from.

In the Netherlands in those days, ships had to anchor at Pampus, a small Island just before the port of Amsterdam. Hence the expression “voor Pampus liggen” meaning to be knocked down for a while, unable to do anything. Nowadays that expression is used when you are dead tired and parked out on the couch or just wasted drunk.