WW1 Slang, Nicknames???

Darryl · 24 September 1998, 08:03 PM

Hello all,

How about we swap some slang/nicknames from WW1
Here is a start.

Quirk.. Be2
Gone west. Dead
In cold storage ... Killed in the bitter winter of 1916/17
"V" strutter. Albatross 3/5
Spinning Incinerator. DH2

All old and well known. How about some more obscure ones?
I've got a few more, I'll dig them up.

Regards

Darryl

25 September 1998, 06:34 AM

The term "I gave it the whole nine yards", meaning you did your best, originated from the fact that the ammo "belts" used by airmen in WW1 were about 9 yards long.

25 September 1998, 10:30 AM

The Sopwith Triplane was known as the Tripehound; the Fokker E-V/D-VIII was sometimes called "The Flying Razor." (Apologies for the errant beginning of a new thread with my last posting about nicknames; it was supposed to go here but I clicked the wrong button.)

25 September 1998, 01:12 PM

here are a few of at least several dozen slang words used in world war one.

blind pig: canadian nicknae for a 9.45in. mortar
coffin nails: cigarettes
gasper: cheap cigarettes
egg: bomp
no.9: british army laxitive pill
whistling willie: shell
woolly bear: burst of a german shell, named from black smoke produced

source: world war one source book by philip j. haythornthwaite. glossary, p. 387

Vigilant · 25 September 1998, 01:41 PM

Were cigarettes really known as "coffin nails"? I thought there was no evidence of their ill effects until the 1950s!
Also:

Whizz-bang.....British name for German field gun shell (incoming). Self explanatory really

Huns.....RFC instructors' name for their pupils. More dangerous to life than the real things.
Scrambled eggs....gold braid on officers' caps.
The Flying Gun...Fokker E types

25 September 1998, 02:15 PM

Okay, but I might get in trouble for this one--but it is
in the song; "a lucifer to light your fag. Smile,boys,
that's the style." A fag was a cigarette and a lucifer
was the match or light.

mike_baram · 26 September 1998, 02:01 PM

Even back in WWI, the effects of smoking were evident (i.e. breathing difficulties, lack of endurance, smoker's cough), but there were no studies done then to make a definite link to cancer, most of the evidence was anecdotal...also, the average life expectancy was short enough to make cancer a rarity.
The term "fag" for cigarette was a shortened form of "faggot", a small stick used for kindling....ahhhhh, times were different then.

mike_baram · 26 September 1998, 02:06 PM

Lest we forget...."Devil Dogs" (Teufelhundten) = German term for U.S. Marines. I also think the term "Leatherneck" came from WWI also, denoting the leather collars on the Marines' field uniform to ward of bayonet attacks.

26 September 1998, 02:12 PM

Here's some WWI slang I came across at Trenches on the Web:

<DL> <DT>alleyman<dd>British for a German (from the French Allemand, meaning German) <DT>ammos<dd>standard issue boots <DT>antonio<dd>Portuguese soldier <DT>archie<dd>anti-aircraft fire <DT>banjo<dd>Aussie for shovel <DT>barker<dd>sausage (thinking they were made of dog meat) also referred to a pistol. <DT>boko<dd>a lot (from the French beaucoup) <DT>bonk, to<dd>shell with artillery fire <DT>bonzer<dd>good, cool <DT>bung<dd>cheese <DT>burgoo<dd>porridge <DT>buzzer<dd>field telephone <DT>chit<dd>written message <DT>chub<dd>Shut up! <DT>conchie<dd>conscientious objector <DT>crump<dd>shell-burst <DT>digger<dd>ANZAC <DT>dixie<dd>food container <DT>duck board<dd>the boards used to line the bottom of trenches <DT>egg<dd>hand grenade (or bomb) <DT>emma gee<dd>machine gun (phonetic) <DT>ersatz<dd>German reserves <DT>fleabag<dd>sleeping bag/bedroll (often referring to that of an officer) <DT>fritz<dd>a German <DT>furphie<dd>Aussie for rumour <DT>heinie<dd>a German <DT>hop the bags<dd>going over the top <DT>igaree<dd>Aussie for "hurry up!" (alternate spelling: Iggry) <DT>kitch<dd>Aussie term for British soldiers (from Kitchener) <DT>maconochie<dd>canned stew <DT>napoo<dd>done, used up <DT>phutt<dd>to stop functioning <DT>possie<dd>Aussie for position. As in "we"ve got a good possie here" <DT>possy<dd>Jam. Not to be confused with "possie" <DT>provo<dd>military police <DT>ragtime<dd>disorderly/absurd <DT>rooti<dd>bread <DT>rosalie<dd>French for bayonet <DT>sammy<dd>early name for American soldiers <DT>san fairy ann<dd>British term of resignation - "it just doesn't matter" (from the French Ca ne fait rien) <DT>sausage<dd>observation balloon <DT>skilly<dd>gruel <DT>stunt<dd>an attack or raid <DT>toc emma<dd>trench mortar (phonetic) <DT>uncle charlie<dd>full marching orders <DT>yperite<dd>mustard gas </DL>

Darryl · 26 September 1998, 09:33 PM

Thankyou all gentlemen!!!!!!!!!

Just on Manfred's post regarding "Furphy" This actually comes from an Army Camp in Victoria. The company which ran the Water supply in carts, also ran the "night carts" (for those of you who don't know/remember a night cart drove down the back alleys to collect the ,ah, "days takings" in the days before sewerage/septic tanks)
The company's name was "FURPHY" and their carts were emblazoned accordingly.

Hence a "furphy" is literally a load of SH one T !!!!!!!!!

Another quick one, women were referred to as Bints (not that I condone sexism!)(At least not while my wife is watching)

Keep 'em coming people, and thanks again

regards

Darryl