Page:Notes and Queries - Series 12 - Volume 9.djvu/557

 12 s. ix. DEC. s, i92i.] NOTES AND QUERIES. 459 " breese " ( = gadfly) as used in ' Antony and Cleopatra,' III. x. 14, and elsewhere. 3. Go WEST. There can be no doubt that the explanation sometimes given in the Army connecting this phrase with the song " Drake is going West " is a piece of popular etymology, but another ex- planation given me by a brother officer merits more serious consideration. It was to the effect that the phrase derives from the days of the opening up of the Middle West in America, and that, from first ex- pressing a geographical fact, it came by a natural transference of ideas to mean " failure to return " and then, by further development, " death." As the British Western front ran roughly north and south, the bases and beyond them " Blighty " lay in the general conception in a vague westerly direction, and so assuming the American origin of the expression " to go west " would coincide in meaning with the English use of "to go home," to signify "to die." That some such expression has long been known in America seems to be attested by the following quotation from Leland's ' Hans Breitmann Ballads ' : De shparrow falls ground-downvarts, Or drafels to de West ; De shparrows dat coom afder Bild shoost de same oldt nest. ' Schnitzerl's Philosopede,' ii. ALEXANDER BELL. PIASSER (p. 384, A) is certainly a shortened form of " piasaba brush," the official nomenclature for the weapon which is used for cleaning the bores of all guns. Piasaba is a stout woody fibre obtained from the leaf -stalks of two Brazilian palm trees, Attalea funifera and Leopoldinia piassaba, and imported to England for the manufacture of coarse brooms, brushes, &c. J. H. LESLIE, Lieut. -Colonel. May I offer the following comments on words already published : DIGGER (p. 344, A). The N.Z. troops were strongly of the opinion -that this applied to them alone and not to the Australian troops. GYPO (pp. 344, 379, A). The criticism that this was not used for an Egyptian is undoubtedly wrong. In September, 1914, " Gippie " was usually heard, but by the end of the year the private soldier had altered it to " Gypo." Used also for gravy or syrup. SQUARE-PUSHING (p. 344, C). To walk out with a girl. (Cf. phrase " square-pushing boots.") SWEATING ON THE TOP LINE (p. 348, C). A phrase from the game of " House." COMIC CUTS (p. 345, C). Usually applied to Brigade Intelligence Summary. A. W. BOYD. PORK AND BEANS (p. 344, A). R.). Also The Queen's (R.W. Surrey PIG-STICKER (p. 345, B). Also sword with cavalry and yeomanry. COMIC CUTS (p. 345, A). Not Divisional Orders, but Intelligence issued through Division. DINKUM (p. 384, C). " Posh," swagger. " A din- kum shine " on the boots. B. S. BOLO (p. 343, A). Air Ministry. L. W. Looking through the lists at ante, pp. 341 and 378, I find extra meanings and words which occur to me as -follow : WHIZZ-BANG (p. 345, A ; 348, C). Also a small motor travelling truck running on light or heavy railway and carrying two or three people. CIVVIES. Civilian clothes. JAM JAR. German missile of the " toffee-apple " description (q.v.). NOTTS AND DOTTS (p. 344, A). Also Notts and Jocks. POT-HOLE (p. 344, B). Not necessarily " shell- hole " ; any small hole caused by rain, &c. BREEZY (p. 345, C). Also " to have the breeze up." DUD (p. 346, C). Also applied to a person or thing. " A dud show, wasn't it ?" " Their G.S.O.2 was a perfect dud." C. J. MAGRATH. " SKOLKURING " (p. 425, C). Definition : the illegal trading of Army food and material to civilians. It is merely the Russian expression, " How much ? " The Tommies traded their ration of rum to the Russians for fox furs ; also, they made large sums of money by exchanging their Brad- burys for Russian notes, receiving, in the early days of the occupation, as much as 130 roubles for a one-pound note. All this was designated " skolkuring." A. S. DUCKBOARD (p. 384, B) can hardly be called " Army slang " as it is a term in common use, meaning a board with slats nailed across to afford foothold. It is often used on slate roofs to enable a man to ascend and descend without damaging the slates. SHOOTING-IRON (p. 384, B) was used as a term for firearms many years before the war, and was not restricted to military weapons. DUNNAGE (p. 384, C) is, I think, more of a seafaring expression than a military one, and has been in use for a very long period. TORE (p. 385, C) was originally, I believe, thieves' slang, meaning a bread ration. G. Y. YOUNGER. 2, Mecklenburgh Square, W.C.I.