The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1909-06-03
THE SOLDIERS SLANG
Army vernacular as Odd as That
Of the Navy.
MANY QUEER EXPRESSIONS.
A Man Just Enlisted ls Called "a
:. Rocky" and Men Who Enlist at the
Beginning Of Winter and Desert In
the Spring Are Called "snowbirds."

The army has just as odd a vernac-
nlar as the navy. To the uninitlated
some army expressions would convey
little or no sense, as, for example, If a
soldier were heard to say, "The top
told me to report for kitchen police
and help skin the spuds for slum for
supper" the nearer would have sew
eral guesses before he would come
anywhere rear what this meant in the
patter Of the barracks.
In plain language, 1t e that the
first sergeant (the ranking or orderly
sergeant had told him to report to the
cook to assist him in peeling the pota-
toes to make the hash or stew for sup
per. Hash or stew is always "slum,"
and the first sergeant is "the top"
Kitchen police" a man who assists the
cook In the preparation Of meals and
the washing Of dishes, pans. etc.
A man who has just enlisted or has
not yet been in the ranks long enough
to be considered a full fedged soldier,
having learned all his duties. Is called
"a rocky" and woe be unto the
"rooky" who gets "fresh" before an
old sergeant who has been in the
ranks since before the fresh "rooky"
was born! He will be told in any but
gentle terms by the old timer: "shut
up and go about your work. Your
name is not yet dry on your enlistment
paper!" meaning that when he was
sworn in and promised to serve for
three years and obey the orders Of
the president and the officers appointed
over him" he had signed his name to
this paper and the signature had not
had time to get dry.
Wien a mar says he is going to
take on" or take to another blan-
ket," he means that he is going to re-
enlist. The government, in the cloth
ing allowance for each man, provides
a blanket; hence the term to ''take- an
other blanket"
The guardhouse is called 1.-The MILL"
Some Ill behaved soldier away back in
the past Ghe term is a very old one)
no doubt thought his term in the
guardhouse ground out toward its end
very slowly, SO he applied this now
much used name to the prison of the
garrison.
When 1.-The top" says, "Get your
blanket and go to the MILL" the sol
der knows he is In for a tour Of duty
in the guardhouse, and his blanket
lean one or more nights, for In that
much to be avoided place nothing is
supplied in the way Of comforts, and
each occupant carries with him his
blanket, Of more If he has them, to
make his rest more comfortable.
All meals are called CHUCK" and
along toward mealtime the expression,
els it not time for chuck call to blow?"
is heard very frequently.
"Snowbirds' are men who enlist in
the winter about the time snow begins
to fall and the real snowbird puts in
its appearance and desert in the spring
when the robin appears. They "take
on only to tide over the winter with
its discomforts.
The Oldest man in the company is
dad" and the youngest. "the kid.
Any deserter is called a skipper"
Two men who share the same small
tent or whose hunks are side by side
In the barrack room are called bunk
les" This ancient term originated In
the days Of the very old army. when
the hunks were built for two" and
two men slept side by side on a mat
tress filled with straw and one blan-