Posted on Oct 15, 2015
How have America’s Wars Changed The English Language?
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http://taskandpurpose.com/how-americas-wars-have-changed-the-english-language/
RP Members here is anothewr one of those posts/questions that got lost over time in RallyPoint, but it was good one worth sharing again!
What are some the words or phrases that have been coined while you served in the combat zone or during the past wars?
Throughout history, American speech has adopted thousands of soldier-coined slang into everyday language.
However unintentionally, soldiers have become architectures of language and profound agents of change throughout history.
Words are paltry things even when compared to peaceful, everyday human experience, and war words are often invented to describe things that are brutally indescribable, bring humor to things that are not funny, and create designations for things that are otherwise unidentifiable.
RP Members here is anothewr one of those posts/questions that got lost over time in RallyPoint, but it was good one worth sharing again!
What are some the words or phrases that have been coined while you served in the combat zone or during the past wars?
Throughout history, American speech has adopted thousands of soldier-coined slang into everyday language.
However unintentionally, soldiers have become architectures of language and profound agents of change throughout history.
Words are paltry things even when compared to peaceful, everyday human experience, and war words are often invented to describe things that are brutally indescribable, bring humor to things that are not funny, and create designations for things that are otherwise unidentifiable.
Warfare
Freedom of Speech
Languages
Humor
Military History
Edited 7 y ago
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 53
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The term "the whole nine yards" comes from the military. Machine gun belts came in nine yard belts. A soldier who fired on the enemy would say, "I gave him the whole nine yards."
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SFC Jim Ruether
Where did "Pipe Down" come from? When on a ship in the early days of sailcloth and yardarms, the Naval officers not on duty would turn in at approximately 10:30 pm. The Bosun's Mate would blow the signal on his whistle for anyone on duty through the night to lower your voices and generally keep quiet so you didn't disturb the ships officers. Or in other words "Pipe Down"
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SGT Bryan Kisner
1800,s Many of the popular candidates relate to the length of pieces of fabric, or various garments, including Indian saris, Scottish kilts, burial shrouds, or bolts of cloth. No single source verifies that any one of those suggestions was the actual origin. However, an article published in Comments on Etymology demonstrates that fabric was routinely sold in standard lengths of nine yards (and other multiples of three yards) during the 1800s and early 1900s. This may explain why so many different types of cloth or garments have been said to have been nine yards long.[34]The phrase "...she has put the whole nine yards into one shirt" appears in 1855. use be for WW ll
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PO3 Pat Hagan
SFC Jim Ruether - Jim, The phrase "3 sheets to the wind" originates from a nautical term. In the days of tall ships a "sheet" was a line that controlled the trim of a sail, if that line became loose, it and the sail it controlled would flop in the wind. If all three sheets of a tall ship came loose, the entire ship was pretty much out of control. Hence , a severely drunk person can be seen as "three sheets to the wind"
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The examples shared here were once quite common and some even adapted to civilian life but are all but gone today. Here are a few of probably thousands:
"Gold Brick" comes to mind as someone who shirks his duty; an empty uniform. Comes from the idea that it shines like a brick of gold but is useless.
"Yard Bird" is another one we do not hear too often anymore. It refers to a PW or a military prisoner who walks around the prison yard.
"A Lover" that is someone who is a lover, not a fighter and not generally well liked by members of the unit.
"Slick" A UH-10
"Slick Sleeve" A person with no rank
"Shave Tail" 2nd Lt. - also, "90 day wonder" (OCS graduate) and "Butter Bar"
"Joe No-Shoulder's" a snake
"Hooch" Alcoholic beverage of one type or another (Still hear this one on occasion)
"Hooch" Living quarters (predominately infantry) in Viet Nam
"Hooch Maid" Viet Nam woman who cleaned your hooch
"Puff the Magic Dragon" or just "Puff" for short; taken from the song by the same name and applied to aircraft with a mini gun - usually a C-130
Thanks for the post - this was a bit of fun today!
"Gold Brick" comes to mind as someone who shirks his duty; an empty uniform. Comes from the idea that it shines like a brick of gold but is useless.
"Yard Bird" is another one we do not hear too often anymore. It refers to a PW or a military prisoner who walks around the prison yard.
"A Lover" that is someone who is a lover, not a fighter and not generally well liked by members of the unit.
"Slick" A UH-10
"Slick Sleeve" A person with no rank
"Shave Tail" 2nd Lt. - also, "90 day wonder" (OCS graduate) and "Butter Bar"
"Joe No-Shoulder's" a snake
"Hooch" Alcoholic beverage of one type or another (Still hear this one on occasion)
"Hooch" Living quarters (predominately infantry) in Viet Nam
"Hooch Maid" Viet Nam woman who cleaned your hooch
"Puff the Magic Dragon" or just "Puff" for short; taken from the song by the same name and applied to aircraft with a mini gun - usually a C-130
Thanks for the post - this was a bit of fun today!
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SGT (Join to see)
Back in 1964, I worked for a retired Marine Gunny. He had been in for 20 years and had been retired for a few years, so he was from the old school (another good term). He referred to anyone who he liked as slick. "I don't know, why don't you ask Slick?" But never ask him which Slick he was talking about! :-)
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LTC Wayne Brandon
SGT (Join to see) - Can't say why or how the old guard came up with that but it seemed that it was easier than remembering everybody's name. I picked it up in the mid-sixties from the 'brown boot' guys and still use it today.
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Yes I concur COL Mikel J. Burroughs our wars going back to the 17th century when we fought with and against the native Americans, French, British, Germanic soldiers began to influence our language and culture - tomahawk, scalping, war party come to mind. The civil war although fought with Americans added words and phrases which took on tremendous impact - emancipation, Gettysburg, Bull Run, ironclad, march to the sea.
We picked up British words in the 20th century from England [spam], Australia [outback] and New Zealand as we fought alongside them in WWI and even more as we launched our forces from bases in those nations.
In Germany where we have been stationed since 1945 we identified with with JFK when he said "Ich bin ein Berliner" ands we added autobahn, Frankfurter, Pomme Frites, jack boots, Krauts, Jerries, and Fritz were terms used for Germans. Graf used to be a German title but now it reminds us of Grafenwoehr training area.
We picked up British words in the 20th century from England [spam], Australia [outback] and New Zealand as we fought alongside them in WWI and even more as we launched our forces from bases in those nations.
In Germany where we have been stationed since 1945 we identified with with JFK when he said "Ich bin ein Berliner" ands we added autobahn, Frankfurter, Pomme Frites, jack boots, Krauts, Jerries, and Fritz were terms used for Germans. Graf used to be a German title but now it reminds us of Grafenwoehr training area.
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LTC Stephen F.
SSG William Wall - "Ich bin ein Hamburger" is more4 reasonable than "Ich bin pomme frites" :-)
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SSG William Wall
LTC Stephen F. - Segue to a real important question... Pommes frites with mayo or ketchup in "Yurp"? Not even going to get into the malt vinegar solution, unless we're in Ocean City, MD/Rehoboth, DE... ;-)
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MAJ Lyle F. Padilla
Actually, "boondocks" does not come from the Civil War, but from the Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection, from "bundok", the Tagalog (Filipino) word for mountain.
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LTC Stephen F.
MAJ Lyle F. Padilla - thanks for correcting my error. I updated my response accordingly.
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