In Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, the word "becalmed" refers to a ship without wind in the sails and which therefore cannot move. Nat's toiling away as an apprentice chandler when he hears the phrase being used disparagingly of him by a regular visitor to the store, a certain Ben Meeker:

"Nat Bowditch, eh? I've heard of you. Master Watson's brightest student you were." He shook his head dolefully. "And now you're becalmed . . ."

Ben uses the term as a not-so-subtle way of reminding Nat that he's going nowhere in life; he's like a ship that doesn't move. In one sense, he's right. Nat is a bright, highly-motivated boy who's keen to be successful, but he doesn't seem to be able to find a way to move on, to make his dreams come true. On the other hand, Ben's comment seems a tad unfair, as Nat has already overcome a lot of sadness and adversity in his life. He's also using his apprenticeship as an opportunity to improve himself, acquiring new knowledge in the process.

Sam Smith's more encouraging. He tells Nat that when a ship is becalmed, a strong man sails by "ash breeze." This means that when a ship stops moving, the sailors get out the oars (made of white ash) and start rowing. Sam clearly uses this as a metaphor for someone working hard to get on in life when the chips are down. Or, as we might say today, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

And that is precisely what Nat proceeds to do. But is it fair to say that he was "becalmed" before then? Perhaps just a little. But, to extend the sailing metaphor, he always had the inner drive and determination to "sail by ash breeze," so there was never a chance that he would remain "becalmed" for very long.