Indian Army Phrases

[walrus]

The devil and the deep blue sea as explained to me was that the devil was part of the mast at the pointy end of the ship, the one that isnt vertical but more like at about 30 degrees and sticks out at the front. (Please stop me if I'm losing you in the jargon!) As a punishment as sailor was sent halfway along it and had to cling on. Hence the expression. I wish I hadnt started this reply now.

Keith

As I understood it, "The Devil" was at t'other end.

The version I'd heard was that the devil was that seam between the deck planking and the transom (where the deck planks ended and where one runs out of ship at the blunt end).

It appears that this was the last seam to be 'payed'/paid with tar and oakum, hence "The Devil to pay" (or more fully, "The devil to pay and no tar hot")

If one was "Between the Devil and the Deep blue Sea", one was in a truely perilous position, akin to balancing on the transom or hanging over the stern of a ship.

Tom the Walrus

[Jim Clay]

"No, I am Kirk Douglas's son!"

Thank you, Bep! Oh, I do love that story.

Jim

[Cliff. Hobson]

It was understandable that Hindu/Urdu words/phrases found their way into our language having spent some time out there I had the habit many years ago of shouting at my kids ' Jildi',( hurry up) it did not take long before they were shouting it back at me. I also picked up the following from the 'Pani Wallah' :

Jack and Jill went up the hill, the night was dark and frosty,

Jill came down with half a crown, her Mother said 'Kyswosty' ( why)

Regards Cliff.

[Drummy]

I know when I was in the Army in the 1990's the expressions dhobi (washing) and buckshee (Spare/free) were still in use, a throwback to the Raj no doubt

[303man]

Talking of saying with military origins I was told thet "going the whole nine yards" originated from Vickers Guns as the canvas belt was nine yards long. Is this true or an urban myth?

Jon

Myth a vickers belt would need to hold 500 rds not 250 to even get close to nine yards an Aircraft gun might have had 500 rds per gun.

Some say it is an american football term

[stuartd]

I was always told that the expression "you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" came from the Nelson era Royal Navy when floggings were always carried out by a friend of the man who was being flogged. Thus if you "scratch" my back, next time when you do something wrong and I'm flogging you, I'll be sure to be "scratching" you! Follow?

Or will the CANOE oppose that!

[Steve Favill]

A few more natical expressions.....

"Not enough room to swing a cat". Because below decks had such low headroom and cramped spaces, floggings with the "cat o'nine tails" had to be carried out on deck.

"Taken aback". When the wind shifts suddenly from the opposite direction, and hits the sails the wrong way, sending you backwards.

[BeppoSapone]

I know when I was in the Army in the 1990's the expressions dhobi (washing) and buckshee (Spare/free) were still in use, a throwback to the Raj no doubt

There used to be a lot more Indian loan words used by the army: Char, Rooty, Bundook, Charpoy, Sangar, etc

So too in civilian life: Wallah, Chit, Shampoo, Pundit and so on

[walrus]

"...Not enough room to swing a cat". Because below decks had such low headroom and cramped spaces..."

Another alternative nautical origin:

A "Cat" was a merchant craft, akin to a collier*, used in the coastal trade, however in some of the smaller harbours, there was insufficient room for the ship to swing from her mooring to leave and she had to be towed out into the harbour 'roads' - The harbour literally did not have enough room to swing a cat.

Tom the Walrus

* It has been speculated that one of these craft were the original for "Dick Whittington's Cat" - the source of his wealth.

[Borden Battery]

Here are two websites from the CEF Study Group list of Recommended Great War Website. They provide a great deal of information on Great War slang.

Borden Battery

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Glossary of Slang and Peculiar Terms – A.I.F Great War

The glossary, compiled by the newly formed Australian War Memorial’s librarians over the period 1921 to 1924, provides a snapshot of the language of the soldiers who had fought for Australia and the Empire in the Middle East and Europe. Over 900 terms are included in the glossary, some Australian, some more general, but all with special relevance for the troops’ experience of the war.

[Recommended by Ozzie – GWF][CEF Study Group – Sept 2006]

http://www.anu.edu.au/andc/res/aehist/wwi/annoted1.php

A Dictionary of Great War Slang by Paul Hinckley

The argot of the British soldier seems to be largely derived from a legacy of Indian and Arabic dialect words picked up and passed on from the previous campaigns in India and Egypt, coupled with the Tommies' rather awkward pronunciation of some of the commoner French words and phrases. This mixture made for a colourful and interesting blend. Learn the meanings of "iddy umpty", "a maiden's prayer", the "spotted dog" and to "wet one's stripes" from this website. [Recommendation by Brett Payne – Update by Avidgenie][CEF Study Group – Updated Jan 2007]

http://class.cyivs.cy.edu.tw/cutefish/warslang.htm