Military Sayings in Everyday Life

[cdbeck]

I just thought of a fun one!

SOS (and I don't mean the distress call)! My grandfather used to make corned beef on toast with a covering of brown gravy, lovingly referred to as S@#! on a Shingle (SOS). Some civvies still call it that, although the dish is rather rare these days. Pretty good tasting though, if you like corned beef.

Check my sig for another "pop culture" one. [;)]

SoM

[MadmanRick]

ORIGINAL: Son_of_Montfort

I just thought of a fun one!

SOS (and I don't mean the distress call)! My grandfather used to make corned beef on toast with a covering of brown gravy, lovingly referred to as S@#! on a Shingle (SOS). Some civvies still call it that, although the dish is rather rare these days. Pretty good tasting though, if you like corned beef.

Check my sig for another "pop culture" one. [;)]

SoM

Actually, SOS doesn't use corned beef, but rather creamed chipped beef. The difference being is that chipped beef is a dried, smoked and salted product. Also, just to clarify the gravy in my experience is normally a white gravy, rather then brown. I love this stuff. although it is increasingly hard to find, unless one takes the time to make it at home. Here is a link to a recipe:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Cookbook:C ... f_on_toast

[MadmanRick]

I can't believe that noone has come up with the really obvious ones such as "head", "galley" and "brig". "Head" being a navy term for bathroom, "galley" being a kitchen and "brig" being a jail.

There are also the following:

"Chewing The Fat" - originated in the 19th Century with seafaring men, referred to the tough cured beef that they ate. One man would sometimes chew on a piece for hours, thus "chewing the fat"

"Ahoy" - a Navy term used to hail other vessels, it was originally a Viking battle cry. It's most common use now is as a brand name, i.e. Chips Ahoy cookies.

"Above Board" - a term that now means someone who is honest and forthright, but it originated from the days of pirates when they would masquerade as honest merchantmen, hiding most of their crew behind the bulwark or below the boards.

"Knows the ropes" - another Navy term used on their discharge papers to mean that they were novice sailors and only knew the uses of the various ropes and not much else. Now it means someone who fully understands all aspects of an organization, quite the opposite of it's original meaning.

Army terms used commonly:

"Jeep" - Now used to refer to (most often) small 4 wheel drive vehicles, and a brandname owned by the Chrysler Corp. there are a number of supposed origins, the first being that it originated in World War II, when the Bantam Co. designed the small 4 wheel drive truck. It was supposedly called Jeep after the letters "GP" for general pupose. However there is some dispute of this with another possible meaning being that it came from the lettering system then in use by the U.S military, the "G" referring to government use  and the "P" referring to it's 80 inch wheelbase. Either way, it's commonly used to this day.

"Tank" - the name by which armored vehicles, designed to destroy other vehicles are known. It is know used as a slang term to describe large vehicles, particularly Sport Utility Vehicles in the U.S.

"Humvee" (also "Hummer") - Another term originally used to describe a 4 wheel drive vehicle, it originates from the nomenclature HMMWV or High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle. It is now used as a brand name by General Motors for their civilian vehicles.

"Cammies" - a slang term that refers to camouflage uniforms. Now it's used to refer to any clothes that feature a disruptive pattern of any sort, mainly used as hunting and leisure clothes here in the U.S.

"BFE" - Originally meaning "Bum F*** Egypt", used to describe remote places. Now used in the civilian world also to describe those same type of places.

"Boonies" - a military term also used to describe remote places. Now common in the civilian world.

"Cap or Capping" - originally used as military slang to describe shooting at someone or something. Also now used in the civilian world, i.e. "They capped him".

"Chop - Chop" - A Vietnam era slang term that originally referred to food. Now used in civilian life to mean do it quickly.

"Lifer" - Originally used as a derogatory term in the military to describe a career soldier. Now it is used the same way in the civvy world.

[cdbeck]

That's right, cream chipped beef! That is why it tastes better! I don't recall ever having "true" SoS, might have to see if I can find the ingredients. I guess it is a popular military meal because it is cheap and quick?

SoM

[thegreatwent]

Basket Case. To be useless or have lost it. From WWI, quadruple amputees were carried around in baskets at the hospital and were thus basket cases.

[andym]

ORIGINAL: orwell

NAESU - Not Always Essential, Sometimes Useless - also known as the Naval Aviation Engineering Service Unit.

we have a very similar one in the RN

WAFU = Wet And Fu**ing Useless, Fleet Air Arm member.

[JWW]

16 years after retiring from the Army, I still find myself using military expressions  in ordinary conversation.  They'll come out and then I'll wonder what the other person thinks.  One, for example, is "say again" when I don't understand what someone on the phone or in person said. 

[thegreatwent]

R&R. Constantly here this used for going on vacation.

[Doggie]

"The Big Red One" has a different connotation depending on which words are emphasized.  When I was there, it was always "The big Red one, with "Red One" said as one word.

[andym]

If you are interested in NAval terms may i reccomend "Jackspeak" by Surg Cmdr Rick Jolly RN.Have a look on Amazon for it,it also has a huge number of cartoons by "Tugg".

[cdbeck]

I believe that the name "Walkie-Talkie" comes from World War II military slang for a Handheld Tranceiver (HT). Funny, now this is the actual name for them.

The name Benedict Arnold still is used to denote a traitor (according to wikipedia, the name Quisling is used in Europe, from Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian politician who aided the Nazis). Arnold was an American officer who handed West Point over to the british during the War for Independence.

The word "decimate" - now used to indicate heavy losses, typically of manpower or loss of life - comes from the disciplinary tactic of the Roman military of killing off one out of every 10 men - decem = 10.

Although a bit archaic, people still use the term "Esprit de corps" to denote the happiness of a certain group - this is the French term for morale (or "spirit of the corps").

Although not a saying, and not technically military, a common food is the Croissant. Although the origin is shrouded in mystery, people think that it is either from the 732 Battle of Tours (Charles Martel vs. Spanish Moors) or from the 1683 defense of Vienna against the Ottoman Turks. At any rate, it probably is shaped as a crescent to mock the Islamic crescent moon.

SoM

[pasternakski]

ORIGINAL: MadmanRick
"Ahoy" - a Navy term used to hail other vessels, it was originally a Viking battle cry. It's most common use now is as a brand name, i.e. Chips Ahoy cookies.

One summer during my misspent undergraduate years, I worked on a tree crew. The guy who ran the chipper would always warn, before running any wood into the machine, "Chips ahoy!"

Good cookies.

[MadmanRick]

ORIGINAL: JW

16 years after retiring from the Army, I still find myself using military expressions in ordinary conversation. They'll come out and then I'll wonder what the other person thinks. One, for example, is "say again" when I don't understand what someone on the phone or in person said.

I completely forgot about that one! I spent some time in the Public Safety Dept here at the University I work at and when we would do radio checks, I would always repeat my radio number by saying that very thing ("I say again"). One of my fellow officers playfully mocks me with that to this day. I also frequently use "negative" instead of no, those habits die hard! I also remember right after I left the military, while looking for a job in the world I took an aptitude test and in the personal section I happened to write my address using military style numbers (with slashes through the zeros and lines through the sevens). The person who was giving the test was very critical and asked me to redo that section, because they said they didn't know what those markings were! I didn't get the job and I'm really not surprised. All turned out for the best anyway.

[105mm Howitzer]

I always use " Roger that". I pretty much hear it with civvies too. Sometimes I will spell out words using the military alphabet instead of common civilian ones..( no, no, it's spelled Mike-Alfa-Romeo-Charlie -Oscar) Yeah, old habits die hard.

ORIGINAL: MadmanRick

ORIGINAL: JW

16 years after retiring from the Army, I still find myself using military expressions in ordinary conversation. They'll come out and then I'll wonder what the other person thinks. One, for example, is "say again" when I don't understand what someone on the phone or in person said.

I completely forgot about that one! I spent some time in the Public Safety Dept here at the University I work at and when we would do radio checks, I would always repeat my radio number by saying that very thing ("I say again"). One of my fellow officers playfully mocks me with that to this day. I also frequently use "negative" instead of no, those habits die hard! I also remember right after I left the military, while looking for a job in the world I took an aptitude test and in the personal section I happened to write my address using military style numbers (with slashes through the zeros and lines through the sevens). The person who was giving the test was very critical and asked me to redo that section, because they said they didn't know what those markings were! I didn't get the job and I'm really not surprised. All turned out for the best anyway.

[ilovestrategy]

ORIGINAL: JW

16 years after retiring from the Army, I still find myself using military expressions in ordinary conversation. They'll come out and then I'll wonder what the other person thinks. One, for example, is "say again" when I don't understand what someone on the phone or in person said.

I spent 4 years in the Marines as a radio operator and I catch myself saying "Say again".
My 14 year old girl looks at me funny when I say "Hold the fort" [:D]

[SireChaos]

ORIGINAL: Punk Reaper

How about, "The die is cast", attributed to Julius Caesar on crossing the Rubicon. Either means the dice has been rollled i.e the gamble has been made or the matter is fixed i.e the metal has been cast.

It means "the dice has been rolled" - that is, as you say, the gamble has been made, now we can only wait to see how the dice fall, it is now too late to go back.

And I have heard "crossing the Rubicon" occasionally, when somebody instigates a "revolt" or challenges his superiors in way that is very likely to end with either him or them losing everything.

[pasternakski]

Waterloo,
Waterloo,
Where were you
To meet your Waterloo?
Everybody has to pay,
Everybody has to play.
Everybody has to meet his Waterloo.

[Jeffrey H.]

ORIGINAL: Son_of_Montfort

The name Benedict Arnold still is used to denote a traitor (according to wikipedia, the name Quisling is used in Europe, from Vidkun Quisling, Norwegian politician who aided the Nazis). Arnold was an American officer who handed West Point over to the british during the War for Independence.

Or the Norwegian 'Quisling', a traitor or collaborator.

Edit [oops I see that you've covered that one already].

[andym]

"goffers" = Very rough weather or Soft fizzy drinks.
"Hooley" as in blowing a Hooley = lots of wind as in storm not flatus!
"Snorkers" =Sausages.
"9 O'clockers" = late evening snack served for watchkeepers,usually mug of "NATO Standard" and a "Mousetrap banjo"
"NATO Standard" = Tea,strong,white 2 sugars]
"Mousetrap" = Pussers hard cheese,supposed to be cheddar! 

[Procrustes]

Work boots have always been "boondockers" in my family, though the reference now escapes most people I know.  I picked it up from the WW2 generation - especially those that were in the Pacific.  I assumed it meant they were the boots you wore when you were deployed to the "boonies". 

As a kid our 5 gallon gasoline cans were all "Jerry Cans" - we got them from the army/navy surplus stores.  Again, seems to have passed.