Lofty Sat Jan 21, 2012 6:57 am
last time I went, it was German splinter parka and einheitsmutze,jeans etc. That passes for mufti in our house! I may go American as the Japanese Admiral outfit is in the wash. I wear for warmth and number of pockets to stash stuff in.
James, I've got a list of army slang stuff and abreviations - very useful to sling in conversation
. People in the 40s spoke quite differently to how we do now and there was a much more pronounced class system ie the upper and higher middle class became officers! They spoke in Oxbridge accents and expected the lower classes ie the rest of us, to treat them accordingly.
The Tommy of WW2 had a language of his own, taking on words and phrases picked up in foreign lands together with the usual Anglo Saxon (you all know these), and Military abbreviations. Here are a few words, phrases and abbreviations you can slip into the conversations at shows. Spellings not guaranteed!
Abbreviations:
NAAFI ----- Navy,Army,Air Force Institute. Also known as No Ambition And Fuck All Interest
A place to buy beer, fags, razor blades, blanco etc cheaply
PBI---------------Poor Bloody Infantry
SNAFU----------Situation Normal All Fucked Up
FUBAR----------Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition
RAP--------------Regimental Aid Post
DS-----------------Dressing Station
OP----------------Observation Post
ATS---------------Auxiliary Territorial Service – womens army
WAAF------------Womens Auxiliary Air Force
RASC-------------officially Royal Army Service Corp. Better known as Run Away Someones Coming
Words And Phrases:
Tommy-----------short for Tommy Atkins – British soldier
Brown Job--------British soldier
Old Sweat---------Long serving soldier
Brylcream Boys—the RAF
Jack Tar/Matelot—Royal Navy man
Bint---------------Woman
Mufti (In mufti)-Civie clothes
Shufti (as in Shufti kush)-----Look (lets have a look)
Imshi--------------Quick
Bundook----------Rifle
Char---------------Tea
Wallah-------------man of service as in Char Wallah, Punka Wallah etc
Bully/Bully Beef—Corned Beef. When cans were handed out the common question was “Which one’s
Got the c*nt in it?”
SPAM--------------Its Pork And Ham!Or Specially Prepared American Meats
Wad----------------Sandwich. Phrase – Char and a wad.
Banjo---------------Sandwich such as egg banjo
Campo Fatesi------This is a Border vets phrase picked up in Italy which he says means, “Show us your
Pussy”
Stonk---------------Artillery barrage
Moaning Minnie---German multiple rocket launcher (Nebelwerfer)
Yank-----------------Usually preceded by “Bloody”. Overpaid, oversexed and over here!
American Luftwaffe—US 8th Airforce, so called for their frequent bombing of British troops.
Officers Mattress -----ATS girl
The Sharp End---------Front line
Shut eye-----------------Sleep
The Old Man-----------C.O ( commanding officer)
Army Form Blank------Toilet Paper
Bull-----------------------senseless activity
Bulling up----------------polishing, cleaning, shining etc
Long Range Snipers-----Royal Artillery
Lance Jack----------------Lance corporal
Chit-------------------------Requisition form or note
Keep your nose clean-----Stay out of trouble
Bodge up / botch job------Fix temporarily or wrongly
Tuppenny all off-----------Army haircut
Quick scrape----------------shave
Square off-------------------Make tidy
Square Bashing-------------Drill
Dixie-------------------------Cooking Pot
Brew up----------------------Make tea or to catch fire
Gnats piss--------------------Naafi beer or tea
Money for jam---------------Easy work
Compo-----------------------Ration or made up substitute eg Compo tea
Whats the griff--------------Whats up
Thunderbox -----------------Toilet
Theres loads more and more RAF phrases as well.
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