Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 9.djvu/461

 12 s. ix. NOV. 5, 1921.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 379 LACKERY. From Hindustani Lakri, wood, or a stick. OO-LA-LA ! From the word much employed to show surprise by the French. PAWNEE. From Hindustani Pani, meaning water. POZZEE. I think I am right in saying that this word, which was usually spelt " pozzy," has no Hindustani origin whatever. POZZEE-WALLAH. See remarks opposite Base- wallah and Camel-wallah. PUKKA. From Hindustani Pakka, real, thorough, &c. ROOTI. From Hindustani Rot i, meaning ' ' bread. SHERBET. From the Persian Sarbat. H. WILBERFORCE-BELL. May I begin the criticism on your first list of words ? CHINK. A Chinaman. This is hardly Army slang fairly universal, I think, and in common use in Limehouse long before the Great War, also in America. CIVVY. A civilian. Was in use when I joined the Army in 1874. " Civics " meant " plain | clothes." DUG-OUT. " One who has seen his best days." Perhaps this may arise from analogy, but the original was coined in the Boer War and meant an officer on the Pensioned or Retired list, who was brought back to fill up the greatly de- pleted officer cadres. Officers on the list of the Reserve of Officers were also " dug-outs," though perhaps on the sunny side of 40. GYPO. An Egyptian. Not at all. " Gyppo " meant " gravy." Gyppie or Gyppy meant an Egyptian was coined by the Army of Occupation in Egypt in -'84-' 85 to denote the Egyptian Army (officered by English officers), raised under Sir Evelyn Wood. The English officers used to resent this abbreviation and insist on the " Egyptian Army " as against the more flippant " Gippy Army." JOHNNY. A Turk. Dates from the Crimean War, at least. THE OLD MAN. Hardly Army slang exclusively. As often, perhaps oftener, used of the captain of a merchant ship or a Thames barge. Ask W. W. Jacobs. PRIVATE (A). Not slang at all. Official designa- tion of a soldier of the rank and file. WALLAH. Not Army slang. Originally a man in any Government employment in India. " Competition Wallah," Indian Civil Ser- vants who got their appointments by com- petitive examination (when first introduced) as distinguished from those nominated by Directors of H.M.E.I.C., and others privileged to do so. JACK JOHNSON. The connexion between the great negro pugilist and the big shell with black smoke should not be lost sight of. POM-POM. " French 75mm. cannon." Not at all. The pom-pom was invented in the Boer War ; a machine gun firing a lib. shell the smallest shell that was allowed under the Geneva Con- vention, to rule out explosive bullets. S.O.S. " Rockets." Much too wide a descrip- tion. Rockets sent up as a special signal to supporting artillery to give assistance to hard-pressed positions. " Save Our Souls " the wireless distress signal at sea. A dis- tress signal whether by rockets or otherwise. 303. Hardly slang ; an official designation of the calibre of the service rifle. ZERO. " The exact time of attack " ; a mis- leading definition. Zero hour was the term used in preliminary instructions for any operation, to denote the hour when these operations would start. Subsequently the definite time by the clock that zero hour re- presented was circulated to troops and acted on. APREE LER GARE FINEE ; SAN-FAIRY-AN. The colloquial mispronunciation of French can hardly be called slang. Wipers and Eat Apples, for Ypres and Staples, would be as much slang. BLOW THE GAFF. Thieves' slang, centuries old. BOSKY. Universal not Army slang long before the war. BRIE'F. Bookmakers' slang a betting ticket. BULLY THE TROOPS. Hardly slang. A more expressive form is "To be b-ggered about," to be given unnecessary drill or manoeuvres. CARRY ON. Not slang. A regular Naval word of command. No. 9. " An aperient pill." Not slang but a definite compound in the Military Pharma- copoeia. GADGET. Naval slang. Any contraption, device or new invention. JUGGED. The " stone jug " for prison is thieves' slang very old. SHOW A LEG. Naval expression. Men in ham- -mocks called to " show a leg " ensures their being half out of their hammocks when their leg is seen. A regular Naval command. " So LONG." Colonial expression -long before the war. What is its origin ? SCOFF. This is omitted in the listr a very old Army term for " eating." STUMER. Financial slang long before the war; a dishonoured cheque, and hence any analo- gous application. VELVET. Hardly Army slang -racing. " To stand on velvet," to have arranged your bets so that you win whatever horse comes in first. BOWLER. Not given in your list. " To be given your bowler." To be demobilized returned to civilian life -and therefore to resume your bowler hat. Coined, I believe, first in the Egyptian campaign and Palestine chiefly used for officers -equivalent' to degommtf, though the latter expression really means to lose your appointment cf. " Stellen- bosched " in the Boer War. Most if not all my remarks fail in applica- tion if the compilation is general, not Army, slang. Some words, e.g., " Pukka " (and why not the reverse " Kutcha ") are merely expressive words adopted into the English language one might equally say " Double entente " or " naif " were slang. CONSTANT READER.