Amazing how many of these I knew already, and I’m English!
I guess that some will have passed between the armies when they were over here. I know that some I heard from my grandad (he was Home Guard (Dad’s Army) during WWII and a Coldstream Guard afterwards. More interesting to me is those that have made it into common parlance. Love how that happens!
My dad shipped from California to Texas only to be a pencil pusher (the only recruit who admitted knowing how to type). Still managed to get his wings, just before the war's end. There was one solid advantage to being the desk jockey tho: all the CO's mail went across his desk first. So the day the orders came thru to send my dad to Europe for the occupation, my dad handed them to his CO, who read them silently, looked up at my dad, then ceremoniously tore them in half and filed them.
Typing matters. My dad was in a tank battalion waiting in England to invade. Got injured playing baseball and missed D-Day. By the time he got to continent it was mop up. At least that’s the story he told me. Who knows?
This is great. I could've used this when researching period slang for my novels. There are a couple decent reference books but not like this — and a primary source to boot. Right from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Pardon all these puns!
My dad used some of these terms when I was growing up.
Fun post!
Thanks. Interesting how some of those slang phrases stuck.
You want your burger with baby *and* blood? 😄
Ewe
Amazing how many of these I knew already, and I’m English!
I guess that some will have passed between the armies when they were over here. I know that some I heard from my grandad (he was Home Guard (Dad’s Army) during WWII and a Coldstream Guard afterwards. More interesting to me is those that have made it into common parlance. Love how that happens!
I guess slang is infectious. I occasionally call the garbage can - the bin.
My dad shipped from California to Texas only to be a pencil pusher (the only recruit who admitted knowing how to type). Still managed to get his wings, just before the war's end. There was one solid advantage to being the desk jockey tho: all the CO's mail went across his desk first. So the day the orders came thru to send my dad to Europe for the occupation, my dad handed them to his CO, who read them silently, looked up at my dad, then ceremoniously tore them in half and filed them.
Typing matters. My dad was in a tank battalion waiting in England to invade. Got injured playing baseball and missed D-Day. By the time he got to continent it was mop up. At least that’s the story he told me. Who knows?
This is great. I could've used this when researching period slang for my novels. There are a couple decent reference books but not like this — and a primary source to boot. Right from the horse's mouth, so to speak. Pardon all these puns!
Feel free to borrow some for future dialogue in one of your WWII-era books
Gosh. War looks and sounds like fun!