Military Slang

[jacobtowne]

"To buy the farm." Used by American airmen in Europe for being killed, particularly bomber crews, as best I can recall. It can refer to a person or an entire aircraft crew.

JT

PS. This phrase might (I'm unsure) also have been used for bomber crew that had been shot down, whether they survived or not.

[Drew5233]

Anymore details on these sayings your posting would be great.

I.e where they originate from and how they came to be used ?

For example

'Three square meals a day'

Is a term that originates from the Royal Navy as the Sailors meals were served on wooden Square plates.

And the P-47 aircraft now had a name: "Thunderbolt". In postwar sources it would acquire the nickname of "Jug", said to be due to its resemblance to a jug of booze; as a contraction of "juggernaut"; or in reference to a "thunderjug", meaning a chamberpot. However, some sources claim this nickname was not in common use during the war and that the only nicknames it had during the conflict were "Bolt" or "T-Bolt".

The above regarding the P-47 was sourced from the net however I listened to D-DAY by Stephen Ambrose (audio book) at the w/end whilst driving and he stated that the name Jug comes from the German Infantry which was short for some geran word to do with destruction or something ?

[Drew5233]

Some adult ones from my American Cousins across the pond

FUBAR- F***ED UP BEYOND ALL RECOGNTION

BOHICA-BEND OVER HERE IT COMES AGAIN

SNAFU- SITUATION NORMAL ALL, ARMY OR AMERCIAN (depending on who you are) F**K UP

[deadb_tch]

Can add one russian army slang (it has LOTs of it ), during two Chechnya campaigns federal troops called chechen separatists as 'Czechs', that is shorter than 'chechenets' (russian).

[GAZALA204]

HOLD FIRE, the slang term that comes from ther early days of black powder muskets when the user would have to stay in the aim till the powder went off and released the shot

[dbf]

Originally Posted by GAZALA204

HOLD FIRE, the slang term that comes from ther early days of black powder muskets when the user would have to stay in the aim till the powder went off and released the shot

Reminds me of half-cocked then ... as opposed to fully, that is.
d

[von Poop]

I don't really follow the 'Hold Fire' one? I've fired a variety of Black powder weapons from very plain medieval arrow gun, through Matchlock to Percussion cap, & though some have a very slight delay between initiation and firing we're talking fractions of seconds, not something that would require a command?

If I ever thought it had anything other than a prosaic meaning I'd vaguely assume it related to Matchlocks and cannon linstocks, where one holds the burning match away from the touch-hole between shots?

In a spirit of further enquiry (Pedantry ) I also just read something using thermodynamics that implies low temperature metal differences alone is very unlikely to ever freeze the iron balls from a Brass monkey... but a bit of ice and a rolling deck might just do it.


To add one; does 'Short Arm Inspection' count as slang?

Cheers,
Adam.

[Slipdigit]

Unless you are the one doing it, then is an onerous task.

[von Poop]

Sorry to have triggered an obviously dark memory from your nursing days Jeff .

I believe Owen's proud to have been a 'STAB'?
And there's a 'Donkey walloper' or two that visits here...