Marc Thompson Posted 19 October , 2002 Share Posted 19 October , 2002 I have recently been helping out a local secondary school with a WWI local history research project. One of the areas that they are interested in is what they term as Tommyism's - those French/Flemish phrases or place names that British troops called or mutated into something else. For example: Ypres - "Wipers" Auchonvillers - "Ocean Villas" a tout a l'heure! (see you!) - "toodleoo!" Does anyone know of a definitive source document on this subject or can you provide a few more examples? Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Morgan Posted 19 October , 2002 Share Posted 19 October , 2002 Ploegsteert = Plugstreet Wystchaete = Whitesheet Godewaersveldt = Gertie Wears Velvet Vin Blanc = plink-plonk or Plinkety-Plonk Fonquevillers = Fonky Villas ca ne fait rien = san fairy ann (It doesn't matter, who cares) Allemand (a German) = Alleyman Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Platteeuw Posted 19 October , 2002 Share Posted 19 October , 2002 Marc, There is a book in dutch 'Soldatentaal 1914-1918 (Soldiers language 1914-1918)' by Tony R. Debruyne which is extremely interesting. The 'slang' is explained of most of the armies involved in the Great War. Possibly it is going to be translated in English. A few examples. 'smelly' = SMLE 'minnie'= German Minnewerfer 'toby'= English '6 inch mortar The whole book is classified by theme. If you want some more with particular items please mail me. Jacky Platteeuw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Brown Posted 19 October , 2002 Share Posted 19 October , 2002 Marc, There is a book - The Long Trail . What the British soldier sang and said in 1914-1918 by John Brophy and Eric Partridge published by Andre Deutsch circ 1965. It contains a chapter on Glossary of Soldiers' Slang but not necessarily limited to French/Flemish words or expressions. Stuart Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 19 October , 2002 Share Posted 19 October , 2002 In my experience Godewaersveldt was more commonly 'GOD wears velvet' and Foncquevillers was 'FUNKY Villas' (at least to 56th London Div men). Edmund Blunden in Undertones of War mentions quite a few and the Brophy and Partridge book is the classic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Thompson Posted 20 October , 2002 Author Share Posted 20 October , 2002 Gentlemen, Many thanks for your responses and providing some further examples. Looks like I will need to save up my pennies/cents for the books that you mention. Jacky - many thanks for your kind offer. I will feed back what I have and e-mail you direct if we need a few more on a specific theme. Regards Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Filsell Posted 29 October , 2002 Share Posted 29 October , 2002 Marc Two Books will help Soldiers and Sailors Words and Phrases, Fraser and Gibbons, London, Routledge and Sons 1925. (Rare very) Songs and Slang of the British Soldier, John Brophy and Eric Partridge, London, Eric Partridge Limited, 1930. (Rare very) The second was published in two editions of about 1,000 or so each. But - and not a lot of people know this - it was published in the 60's or 70's in papberback and this is the definitive and undervalued edition. Try abebooks.com. Partridge was a famous lexicographer. Incidently Ypres was known as Yprees to the 'old army' - the 1914 regulars Hope this helps David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Abbott Posted 30 October , 2002 Share Posted 30 October , 2002 Marc I have dug out some pages that I printed long ago from Paul Hinckley's Old Contemptible's Great War website. The printout is titled "A Dictionary of Great War Slang" and consists of 17 pages of entries, unfortunately the links are broken on Paul's website, but I could photocopy and send on to you if you wish (especially as I see you're also in Hampshire). alan.abbott@ntl.com Regards, Alan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedley Malloch Posted 30 October , 2002 Share Posted 30 October , 2002 Not a British word, but a French one. The poilu called the cheap, red wine which sustained him through the war 'pinard'. This is a garrison corruption of 'pinot', the type of black grape frequently used in its production Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 30 October , 2002 Share Posted 30 October , 2002 Interesting Hedley - I thought le Pinard was white wine and white spirit? An amazing mix by anyones standards! I thought, for some reason, that red wine was hard to get in France during WW1; in the British army it could only be afforded by officers - so the ORs had Vin Blanc, which they soon corrupted to 'Vin Plonk'... 'Plonk' now being part of the collective language, especially at Calais wine shacks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Platteeuw Posted 31 October , 2002 Share Posted 31 October , 2002 Interesting Paul I thougt officers drunk 'red ink' or 'vimmy rooge' and OR's 'jim blonk' or ' plinkety plonk'. Good news!! Yesterday I spoke to Tony Debruyne and he said to me that the English version of 'Soldatentaal (Soldiers language) is well underway. As you sure know last night Major PAPINEAU has been commemrorated at the Menin Gate. Tonight ends the special year of commemorating every night a soldier or soldiers. I can say that I have seen during that year a lot of heartwarming things such as the ever growing interest and a lot of emotional moments when family members paid their tribute to their disappeared. Jacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedley Malloch Posted 31 October , 2002 Share Posted 31 October , 2002 Interesting Hedley - I thought le Pinard was white wine and white spirit? An amazing mix by anyones standards! Paul: You could well be right. White spirit and white wine! The mind boggles. Whatever the precise colour and compostion of the drink its name is a corruption of the grape variety. This is according to a piece in the current issue of 14-18 which charts the history of the word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 31 October , 2002 Share Posted 31 October , 2002 As you sure know last night Major PAPINEAU has been commemrorated at the Menin Gate. Jacky Wish I could have been there, but I was thinking of him, while on 'Blighty Leave'; any of his relatives in attendance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacky Platteeuw Posted 1 November , 2002 Share Posted 1 November , 2002 Certainly nobody presented themselves as being relative(s) but during the course of the year it has happened that people came after the Ceremony and told us that they were related to the commemorated soldier. Unfortunately even this did not happen for Major Papineau. Sorry to deceive you because I know that the man does own a part of your heart. Jacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie Posted 10 February , 2007 Share Posted 10 February , 2007 Sorry for bringing up an old topic, but i'd like to know more, is there an online dictionary of slang? Anyone know any more? Steph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walrus Posted 11 February , 2007 Share Posted 11 February , 2007 Sorry for bringing up an old topic, but i'd like to know more, is there an online dictionary of slang? Anyone know any more? Steph Three which come to hand: A version of Paul Hinkley's list (from another site) http://www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk/War%20Slang.htm An Australian Site http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-slang/ww1.htm and, for Francophones, a Poilu French site http://dtriaudmuchart.free.fr/vocabulaire_poilu.htm Any help? Tom the Walrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walrus Posted 11 February , 2007 Share Posted 11 February , 2007 Of place names:- One which springs to mind is Etaples (site of the infamous 'Bull Ring'), which seems to have been Eetaps, Eat-apples or Ate-apples. Tom the Walrus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephanie Posted 11 February , 2007 Share Posted 11 February , 2007 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmad Posted 15 February , 2007 Share Posted 15 February , 2007 Gott mit uns = got mittens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike10764 Posted 15 February , 2007 Share Posted 15 February , 2007 Mucky Farm- Ferme de Mouquet (Mouquet Farm) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Marshall Posted 30 March , 2007 Share Posted 30 March , 2007 Of place names:- One which springs to mind is Etaples (site of the infamous 'Bull Ring'), which seems to have been Eetaps, Eat-apples or Ate-apples. Tom the Walrus I've heard of Heel-taps for Etaples too Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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