The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1909-06-24
THE SOLDIERS SLANG
Army VernacuIar as Odd as That
of the Navy.
MANY QUEER EXPRESSIONS.
A Man Just Enlisted Is Called "a
Rocky" and Men Who Enlist at the
BEGINNING of Winter and Desert In
the Spring Are Called "Snowbirds."

Beginning OF winter ana Desere IN
the Spring Are Called "Snowbirds."
The army has just as odd vernac-
Mar as the navy. To the uninitiated
some army expressions would convey
little or no sense, as for example, if
soldier were heard to say, "The top
told me to report for kitchen police
and help skin the spuds for slum for
supper" the hearer would have sew
eral guesses before he would come
anywhere near what this meant in the
patter Of the barracks.
In plain language, it means 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 1.-THE top"
4kitchen police" 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 full fiedged 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 ROCKY"
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 Oh your enlistment
paperp' 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.
When a man 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
q blanket; hence the term to stake an
other blanket"
The guardhouse is called s'the MILL"
Some i'll behaved soldier away back in
the past Ghe term is 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 ''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
means 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, or 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
it's discomforts.
The oldest man In the company is
dad" and the youngest "the kid.
Any deserter Is called a skipper"
Two ul0u WHO SudI0 LuO Sdlu0 Suioll
tent or whose hunks are side by side
in the barrack room are called "bunk-
ies." 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 filed with straw and one blan-
ket apiece, much different from today
when each man has his hair mattress,
pillow, sheets and blankets. A 'bunky''
always has a chew or filing for a pipe
for his mate, when he might tell an
other man that he has not enough
weed to ''put under your nail"
ALI fines received from a court are
called "blind," so that a man who re-
ceived ten days in the guardhouse and
a fine of So would tell his comrades
that he "got ten days in the mill and
five Blind
The commanding officer of a com
pany or the post is always the cold
man." II he is not liked other terms.
not parlor talk, are used.
All field musicians are called wind
TANNERS on account Of their jamming
of wind into the trumpet that calls the
men to labor or rest.
Every man on the completion Of his
term of enlistment is given a dis
charge. At the bottom of his paper in
olden times was space in which the
character borne by the man during his
term of enlistment was written. If his
service had been bad this part of the
discharge was cut off, and it was
called ga bobtail." In speaking Of the
length of time a man has to serve be-
fore he has completed his term of en-
listment the term butt means less
than a year. So to say ne has year
and little less than two years he
would say "a year and butt"
There are a number of men in the
ranks who save their money and lend
it to others. The rate is very high. If
a man borrows 50 he must pay 81 at
pay day. This is called "cent per
cent" The term zone more shingle on
the White House" means that the man
has completed one more tour of guard
duty consisting of twenty-four hours.
Many of these terms quoted are Of
very old origin. so old that If you ask
the oldest man in an organization
when he heard it first he will proba-
bly, tell you. "Oh. it was used when I
took my first blanket"- Major B. w.
Atkinson in New York Tribune