Smoke ' em if you got ' em - Wikipedia Smoke ' em if you got ' em This article is about the phrase. For the 1990 album, see Smoke ' Em If You Got ' Em ( album ). The phrase `` Smoke ' em if you got ' em '' or `` Smoke if you got ' em '' is slang for `` do what you want, if you have the means ''. The first phrase was popular in the United States military during World War II, meaning to take a break. Officers would say `` Smoke ' em if you got ' em '', allowing the soldiers to take a break and smoke their cigarettes, `` if you got ' em '' referring to the vagaries of war. Cigarettes were nearly impossible to get in Europe during that time because of the deprivations of the war. Along with nylon stockings for women, cigarettes were a luxury item that took on cultural importance beyond their monetary value. Soldiers got a daily allotment of cigarettes with their K ration, the 1940s combat ration equivalent of modern Meals, Ready - to - Eat ( MREs ). Not all soldiers smoked, and unsmoked cigarettes became a War Department currency. The soldiers traded freely across all borders and social classes. Seventy - five years later, the phrase was a touchstone used in all media to evoke a former heroic period. References Jump up ^ Vic Morrow - Combattes ber ! ABC television series October 1962 This vocabulary - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Smoke_%27em_if_you_got_%27em&oldid=814351262 '' Categories : English phrases Tobacco and the military Vocabulary and usage stubs Talk About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 8 December 2017, at 08 : 11 ( UTC ). About Wikipedia

Question: origin of smoke em if you got em
Answer: United States military during World War II