The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-10-20
WHERE SOME MECHANICS GIVEN WORLDS
FIGHTING MEN HAD ORIGIN

viii it hr "Samuies:" Probably not. The
history of slang shows that ncknames of soldiers
Cor anything elSc) come from the soldiers them
selves or very often from the enemy. 1t apparent
~ has occurred to nobody who writes letters to
the newspapers that the American soldier has
gone through several wars without any fixed
slang name such as the English soldiers Tommy
Atkins.
Most of the letters advocate the Sammy ap-
pendagc Who started it nobody knows. Prob
ably the idea of Sammy after Uncle Sam broke
out in eruption in several quarters at the same
time. Word from France says that the men Of
The Per>hing expedition do not like the idea.
Sammy any word ending in the affectionate
diminutive to the American mind is unmanly.
That is not in England and British possessions.
Tommy Atkins" sprang, according to wel-es-
tabliShed reports, from word written on q sam
pie form of application to the British army. 1t
represented the British John Doe And anyway
Tommy applies only to the English soldier, usu-
ally little fellow, and not to the big-boned Co
Ionials Scotch "Kties" Irish Dragons or
FuSiliers.
With Sammy az a basis the letter writer's next
decided on Samson a fitting name-lesS eff
Terminate The Sons of Sam-Uncle Sam'-fne
and manly. they argued. But Samsons didn't
stick either Then many advocated "Yanks' from
Yankees the old Civil war nickname for the Union
troops That, of course, did not appeal to the
Southcrners. Somebody wrote in that Ianks
wouldn't do because Yankee came from an Indian
word which meant coward That isn't shown by
Webster who gives a dozen other theories about
the origin of Yankee. Like all other slang words
it comes from far back that nobodyS memory
would serve in untangling the mystery.
In the Civil war the NorthernerS We're yankees
or "Yanls.' meaning properly in the States
New Englandcr but word applied abroad TO all
Americans The Southcrners were "Rebs' from
rebels or Johnny Rebs" 1t is apparent that
each got his name from the enemy. So in the
Mexican war the only slang name the American
soldiers had "gringo," also given to him by
the enemy "Gringo' means nothing in Spanish.
The Australian and New Zealand soldiers of the
British army have been dubbed Amaze" cOmbi-
nation of the initial letters of Australian and New
Zealand army corps. The Scotch retain their name
Of 'liltieS" of course. from the kits they wear.
The German soldiers said to call them "the
ladies of hell but that was too long title to re-
main although it probably pleased the "kilties"
There has been much discussion about "boche,
the name for the German soldiers and 'pou,' the
French soldier. "Boche' is French slang, and its
birth is clothed in mystery almost always sur
rounding a slang word 1t means a most despicabie
sort of person and Is insult
In that connection the American army already
has its slang term for an infantryman. Il IS
used commonly in the army but generally
known 10 the civilian. The term is "doughboy.'
Since "doughboy" long has been an American in
fantryman The United States army already has
explicit a slang term the French army has in
"poIu" "Doughhoy" is in Webster as meaning
an infantryman in the United States.
Probably 'doughboy." by reason Of its Use an.l
popularity in the American army, will become hi
general word for the American soldier before III;
war is "Gringo" also may become cGnmon
usage. for the American soldiers have seen
much service In and near Spanish speaking coun-
tries that they often refer themselves in fun IA
"gringoS. New. York Herald.