Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-06-23
THE SOLDIERS SLANG
Army VernacuIar as Odd as That
of the Navy.
MANY QUEER EXPRESSIONS

-
a Man Just Enlisted Il Called "a
Rocky" and Men Who Enlist at The
Beginning of Winter and Desert In
the Spring Arc Called ~snowbirds."
Tue army has Just as odd vcrpsa.
ular as the navy. To the -uninitinted
some army expressions would convey
little or no sense. as. for example II n
soldier were heard to say. The ton
told me to report for kitchen police
and help skin the spuds for slum for
supper" the hearer would have sev.
eral guesses before he would come
anywhere near what this meant I'm the
patter Of the barracks.
In plain language. it means that the
hrSt sergeant Ohe ranking or orderly
sergeant had told him TO report TO tho
COOK to assist hin. I'm peellng the pota-
toes 10 make the hash or stew Tor sun.
per. Hash or stew Is always "sium. !"
ana the first sergeant Is the tom
Kitchen police" man who assists the
cook In the preparation of meals and
'he washing of dishes. pans. etc.
y man who has just enlisted or has
not yet been in the ranks long enough
10 be considered fun hedgcd soldier.
having learned all his duties. is called
"A rocky" and wee be unto the
ROCKY" who gets fresh" before an
old sergeant who has been in the
ranks since before the fresh ROCKY
was born, lie VIII be told in any but
gentle terms by the old timer: "Shut
UP and 20 about your work. Your
name is not yet dry on your enlistment
paper. meaning that when be was
sworn in AND promised TO serve for
three years and obey the orders Of
the president and the officers Amounted
over him" ne had signed his name to
this paper and the signature had not
had time Go get dry
When a man says he IS going to
take on or take 10 another blan-
ket." he means that he is going to re-
enlist. The government. in the cloth
Ing allowance for each man. provides
n blanket; hence the term TO take an
other blanket"
The guarChouse IS called the mill &"
Some III behaved soldier away back In
the past che term Is worry old onel
no doubt thought his term In the
Cuardhouse 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 10 the mill" the sol
der knows he IS in for tour OF duty
I'm the Guardhouse. ana his blanket
means one or more nights. for In that
much 10 be avoided place nothing is
supplied I'm the way Of comforts. and
each occupant carries with him his
blanket. or more II he has them. 10
make HIS rest more comfortable.
Al meals are called chuck" and
along toward mcaltimc the expression.
els e not time FOR chuck call 20 blowY''
T. heard very frequently.
"Snowhirds" are men who enlist In
thc winter out TIE time snow begins
10 flu ard ,hc real suowbird puts in
ite an'caran. q and desert I'm the spring
whca thc r.hin appears. They take
on Only 90 tide over the winter with
it's diScomfcrtS
The oidrs; man in the company is
dad" AMI the youngest "thc kid.
Any dcsertcc Is called a skipper"
Two ucn who share the same small
tent or whose hunks are side bv side
Ia The llrrach room are called bunk
les" Th ancient torn ori~inatld in
the day &c thc very old army. when
the hurls were "hui,t fcr two" and
two mcl slcpt side ly side on mat
trcss q, ed with straw and one hlan-
kct apiece. much different from today.
whom each wau has his hair mattress.
pillow. sheets ARD laukcts. \ "hunbv"
always has a chow or filling for a pipe
for his mate. when hc might tell an
other man that he has mot enough
weed to ''pu' under your nail"
Al fines received from court are
called "blird" 50 that a man who re-
coivcd ten days in the Cuardhouse and
a tne III - would tell his comrades
that hc got ten days IN The mill and
five blind"
The commanding officer OF a COM
pany cr the post IS always The "old
man" II he is not lu,cl other terms.
not parlor talk. are used
All Held musicians are called wind
tanners ON account II their jamming
Of wind into the trumpet that calls the
mon 90 labor Cr rest
Every man ON the completion Of his
term of enlistment IS giveu Il dis
charge. At The bottom 81 his paper IN
olden times WAS a space in which the
character borne 10y the man during his
term Of cnli-tment was written If his
service had been bad this part OF the
discharge was cut or and It was
called n bCbtaiL" In speaking Of the
length OF time man has TO serve be
fore he has completed his term Of en-
listmcnt the term "bvtt" means less
than a year 50 so shy ne has year
and lituc less than two years he
would say ~ year and II butt."
There are number Of men in tho
ranks who save their money and lend
Il TO others The rate Is very high. IF
4 man horrows - he must pay 81 at
pay day. This IS called "cent Per
cent" The term "onc more salnclc On
the White TouSe" means that the man
has completed one more tour Of cuarl
duty consisting Of twenty-four hours.
Many Of these terms quoted are of
very old ORIGIN. So old that II YOU ask
the oldest man in an organization
when he hccrd 70 FIRST hc Viii proha.
bly, tell you ooh. q WAS used when I