Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 9.djvu/469

 12 s. ix. NOV. 12, 1921.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 383 ENGLISH ARMY SLANG AS USED IN | THE GREAT WAR. (See 12 S. ix. 341, 378.) FRENCH METHODS OF COLLECTING ARMY SLANG. Iisfregard to the methods and present state of the inquiry into War Slang, France, as always in argot, leads the way. We can best follow her coarse in the pages of M. Albert Dauzat, the author of several well- known studies on the French language, who sets out his system of enquete in the Preface to 'his ' L' Argot de la Guerre.' It seems that the Societe suisse des traditions populaires at Bale in the first months of the war set on foot an inquiry to collect ! words and expressions peculiar to the I Swiss soldier, as well as military folk-lore. Soon after the Lustige Blatter of Berlin ' organized an analogous collection amongst ! its mobilized readers in regard to the i vocabulary of the German troops. M. i Dauzat, who had himself been mobilized i from August, 1914, to the end of January, 1915, started his " inquest " between the | end of February and the end of July, 1917, j supported by some of the leading French journals and reviews, such as Le Temps, La Libert 6, and especially by the Bulletin des Armies de la Republique, to which he owed the larger part of the documents and letters received. These words and expressions, nearly ! 2,000 in number, he gives at the end of his i volume, as well as a tabular statement | of the initials or names of his correspondents, | their units, the number of words each fur- i nished and the abbreviations attached to i each word connecting it with the furnisher. | To this he adds the documents adduced j in the Bulletin de la Societe de Linguistigue by two distinguished linguists, MM. M. j Cohen and R. Gauthiot the latter of whom died soon afterwards from wounds received in the war and in the short Slang Lexicon published in the Journal du Camp de Gotlingen by French prisoners of war. His seven chapters are thus entitled : ; i. Language and the war. ii. Old words, iii. New words, iv. Words borrowed from ! Lyons, the West and South of France ; from i Italian, English, Spanish, German, Arabian and Annamite sources, v. Changes of mean- i ing, irony, and metaphor. vi. Changes ! of form, alteration and abbreviation of words (elision of the initial or final letters) ; f initials substituted for words, &c. viL | Special slang for different services Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, Aviation, Navy, Prisoners, Algerian, Automobiles, the Staffs, Telegraphs and Telephones, Hos- pitals, Greece, Serbia. A. FORBES SIEVEKING. 12, Seymour Street, Portman Square, W. The following list has been compiled from words kindly supplied to us by LT.-COL. PIRIE GORDON, MR. H. A. PIEHLER, MR. ARCHIBALD SPARKE, J. B., and J. M. O. Words belonging to Airman's slang and slang formed from initials (e.g., " Emma- gee") are being reserved for separate lists. Navy slang will also be treated separately. A. NICKNAMES AND PERSONAL APPELLATIONS. ARMY-DODGER. A man who sought to evade military service. BELGIUMS. The Belgians. BINT (THE). The man who played female parts in military concert parties or theatrical troupes organized by the Army in Palestine. BOMB-DODGER. A person who removed from his usual place of residence in London or the eastern counties in order to be out of the air raid zone. Many went to " Jerusalem-oii- Sea " i.e., Brighton or up the Thames valley. BUNTY. Nickname for a short man. CALM LAYLAS. Egyptian Labour Corps from their song " Kam Layla, Kam Yom? " (How many nights, how many days ?) CAN (A). A simpleton. CANUCK. Canadian. CHERRY-NOBS. Military police. COLOUR. Colour-sergeant. CUTHBERT. A stay-at-home, especially in Govern- ment offices. DOUGHBOY. An American soldier. EDGE. Adjutant. FIVE-MILE SNIPER. Gunner in heavy artillery. FLAG-WAGGER. Signaller. ITTY UMPTY. (A short and a long in Morse.) The 1 7th Division : the dot and dash painted in white on a dark back-ground being the divisional sign. JUDY. A Palestine Jew. (Yahudi : Arabic.) KING'S HARD BARGAIN. A man who was not worth his pay. LIMPET. A man who had a good job behind the line, or in a Government office at home and clung tightly to it. LOFTY. Popular term for a tall man. LOOT. A subaltern. " One-pip loot," a second lieutenant (from single star on shoulder). " Two pip loot." MATE (MATEY). The most frequent term of address used among the troops. MERCHANT. In various senses, much the same as " wallah." MUD-CRUSHER. An infantry soldier. MUTTON CFOPS. R. W. Surreys (from emblem of lamb and flag). OLD BEAN. " Old fellow." BED WINGS. Staff officers (Anzac).