Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-02
AMERICANS LEARNING
SLANG TERMS FOR WAR
sect in the Doghouse, Burglar Is
Coming" When Enemy Is
Seen in Sky.
BY HERBERT COREY.

AMERICAN FRONT IN FRANCE. Oc-
tober 11.-By their slang ye shall know
them.
The British soldier exposed to the
aerial attentions of the German digs
what he calls funk hole" 1t may be
merely a deep hole the size of a man.
from which his head protrudes like
that of an agitated turtle as he fol-
lows the movements of the enemy in
the sky. 1t may be a deep trench or
dugout- The American soldier has
not had time to evolve a full set OF
phrases with which to meet wars
emergencies, but he is on his way. We
engineer regiment today.
$50 we heard the Dutchnan coming.
said one private to new arrival, and
the sergeant pokes his head in the
door of the bunkhouSe:
'''Get in the doghouse. men, says he.
There's a burglar comm.
Is Deep Dugout.
The ''doghouse" is a deep dugout,
nicely rooted with timbers and earth,
in the immediate rear of each of the
pineboard sheds in which the men live
The barracks themselves are of the
simplest possible construction. One
large door gives admission. and the
doghouse door is inside at the other
end. Each shed is about one hundred
feet long by twenty-five feet wide. a
row of cots line either side. For the
present there Is plenty of room, but
il may be that when winter comes on
double-decker hunks will be built. in
which the men will put their straw
bags.
The Britisher calls Germans Huns"
if he wants to be particularly nasty. or
''F'ritZie If he feels rather good-na-
tured. as he usually does. The French
man knows the invader as the 'Fboche."
Long habit retains its sway upon the
! American. In spite of the fact that the
enemy is German. he is apt to speak
| Of him slightingly as a Dutchman. 1t
| Is useless to try to correct him. When
he was a kid, back home in Cincinnati,
he referred to the small German-Ameri-
on bad terms as Dutchie. The Teutonio
enemy will be Dutchie to him to the
| end of the chapter. His present asso-
ciate in arms is Frenchie. A Canadian
| an affectionate diminutive for his Brit
| ish co-laborer.
Source Of Infinite Joy.
The other day visited cottage in
\ which q number Of American soldiers
had been 'billeted. An American is a
source of infinite Joy to the lesser youth
| the soldier because they get pennies
and follow other Americans on the gen
eral principle that they may be worth
following. One is never certain that
the infantile sentiment is one of ad-
miration. but they are at least well be-
haved- The principal objection is that
| one Is so apt to step on a small toe in
i turning hastily. The usual swarm OF
| small fry entered the cottage with me
The housewife waved her apron al
i them. as is the custom Of housewives
the world over. =,
l 'Vamoose," said she -
4 There was no possible doubt about IT
She repeated the incantat1on, and they
vaLnoesed. The beautiful language OF
France is being enriched by the tray-
eled fighting men of America But
France Is having her revenge The
American egg has become an -"oof." In
the sector where the American engin-
GERS are working with the French rail
readers lingua franco has been eyoIy.
ed Yesterday a French soldier-brake-
man wigwagged a message, American
| style, to the American engineer, Bui
he had his signals twisted and the en-
gtneer did not respond. The brakeman
came to the engine side:
High ball." said he. seriously. High
ball"
So the engineer yanked the throttle
and the train began to move