World War II created a brotherhood, and a language all its own. Men from a wide variety of backgrounds were thrown together in close-knit, often boring, frequently dangerous situations, and slang that came from those experiences tied them together and cemented their brotherhood.
WW2 slang helped create an “us” vs. “them” mentality, where them is not only the enemy, but the “Brass” and folks back home who can’t fully understand the world of the fighting man.
WW2 GI SLANG
There are currently 295 names in this directory
Baptized by Fire.
To have been under enemy fire for the first time; to have received one's first wounds.
Battery Acid.
Artificial lemonade powder included in K-rations -considered undrinkable and regularly discarded or used as cleaning solution.
Battle Breakfast.
A Navy term referring to the heavy breakfast of steak and eggs commonly given to sailors and Marines on the morning of a combat operation.
Big-A-Bird
A term sometimes applied by the Port Moresby natives to the B-24s when they first made their appearance in that area.
Brush-Off Club.
Men in the armed forces who have been dumped by their girlfriends. Variation: The Ex-Darling Club.
Chicken Shit.
The G.I.'s name for service regulations and the seemingly endless make-work chores. Sometimes abbreviated as C.S.
Crumb Up.
To get a haircut; shoeshine; freshly pressed shirt; etc.; in preparation for an inspection.
Dog Tags.
Two metal identification tags worn around the neck; one to be collected and one to be left with the body after death.
Doug’s Dug Out
An uncomplimentary term for the residences of General Douglass McArthur and his family. First in Australia, then later at a well-appointed plantation owner’s house in Port Moresby
Eager Beaver.
A soldier is so anxious to impress his superiors that he volunteers for every job that's offered; or otherwise displays unusual diligence.
Eagle Day.
Payday; also known as the day the eagle shits. A reference to the American eagle that appears on some coins.
Eight Ball.
A solider who gets into trouble so much that he's a liability to his unit; from the old notion that it is bad luck to be behind the eight ball in pocket billiards.
Eisenhower Jacket.
A short; fitted; belted jacket of the type made popular by General Dwight D. Eisenhower during the war.
Emily Posters.
Naval cadets; so-called because they were given a condensed edition of an etiquette book by Emily Post.
Fat Cat
1) A person in, or associated with the military living in safe and sometimes luxurious conditions. (A term often applied to personnel assigned to posts in Australia, including Red Cross personnel.) 2) An aircraft assigned to fly to and from fat cat areas.
Feather, to
To place a propeller in an edge-on position to the direction of flight to cut down on the wind resistance (with engine stopped.)
Flak.
Abbreviated form of German word Fliegerabwehrkanone; or pilot warding-off cannon (anti-aircraft fire).
Flying Prostitute
Term applied to the twin-engine Martin B-26. This aircraft had a small wing area, and was said to have “No Visible Means Of Support.” A high performance aircraft for its day, and requiring great skill to fly.
G.I. Government Issue.
An enlisted soldier. Being G.I. means doing only what is authorized and not wishing to take any risks.
Gibson Girl.
A hand-cranked radio transmitter included in aircraft life rafts; so-called because of its wasp-waisted shape; reminiscent of the beautiful; idealized women drawn by Charles D. Gibson.
Give It the Deep Six.
Forget it; keep it a secret. From older naval slang for burial at sea; which was known as the deep six; probably from the custom of burying people six feet underground.
Gremlins
Mythical creatures who are supposed to cause trouble such as engine failure in aeroplanes, a curious piece of whimsy-whamsy in an activity so severely practical as flying. Now the gremlin seems to be extending its sphere of operations, so that the term can be applied to almost anything that inexplicably goes wrong in human affairs.
Guardhouse/Barracks Lawyer.
A person who knows little but talks much about regulations; military law; and soldier's rights.
Gubbins
Used to describe almost any part of the equipment of a plane, with about the same meaning as gadget.
Had It
That is, "I’ve had it", "he's had it", and so on. In some cases it inferred a disastrous ending
Ham That Didn't Pass Its Physical.
Spam; the ubiquitous canned meat which was served to soldiers up to 2-3 times per day.
Hangar Queen
An aircraft with an unenviably bad maintenance record. An aircraft spending a great deal of time being repaired or maintained.
Haywire.
Used to describe a piece of equipment that was not behaving itself; or an event that took a bad turn. Derived from the use of haywire (baling wire) to make farm repairs.
Head Up and Locked
A term applied to a person reacting stupidly to an emergency. (“He had his head locked up his a--”)
Joe Blow Biography.
A short biographical article featuring a fighting man; written for publication in a hometown newspaper.
Jungle Juice
Alcoholic liquor made with what ever is handy around camp. Some good, some not so good. Fresh or dehydrated potatoes, raisins, dried or fresh fruit, or most anything when mixed with sugar and allowed to ferment would become and alcoholic drink of questionable quality, but alcoholic, nonetheless. Those persons with material to make stills could turn this into a very strong hard liquor.
Just Sweating Member.
Pending or prospective member of the Brush-Off Club; he doesn't know where the hell he stands but the mail doesn't bring in Sugar Reports any longer.
Mae West.
An inflatable life jacket that fit around the neck and down the chest; and bulged the chest when inflated. Named for the singer/comedienne who was known for her small waist and large bust.
Maggies Drawers.
Red flag used on the rifle range to indicate a miss; as in; He fired a full clip but all he got was Maggies drawers.
Million Dollar Wound.
A wound that took a soldier out of combat; and even perhaps back to the US for treatment; but did not permanently cripple or maim him.
Ninety-day wonder
An officer who holds a commission by virtue of having attended a three-months course direct from civilian life
On The Step
An in-flight condition for a B-24 where the aircraft is accelerated to slightly above its normal cruising speed, then trimmed so that it is flying in a slightly nose-down condition, When the aircraft center of gravity (CG) was properly adjusted fore and aft, and aerodynamically trimmed, the ship would generally maintain a slightly higher cruising speed until disturbed. (AUTHOR’S NOTE: In writing this description of “on the step” the author realizes it will open up a Pandora’s Box of rebuttals. Some pilots say this is just B.S. Others will swear that you could get a ship up on the step. So have fun with this one.)(WEBMASTER'S NOTE: yeah, take it to the message board!)
Pucker Factor
A term applied to describe the tenseness or danger level of a situation. A high pucker factor could make your old rear end cut donuts out of your seat pack parachute
Putt-Putt
The single-cylinder auxiliary pour plant that provided emergency or additional electrical power
Royal Order of Whale Bangers
An "exclusive" club open only to airmen who have mistakenly dropped depth charges on whales;supposing them to be enemy submarines.
Run-Away Prop
A propeller out of control and stuck in the high speed setting. A truly dangerous condition any time, but especially so on take off
See the Chaplain
Stop grousing; resign yourself to an unpleasant situation. In other words;I don't care about your problem. Go tell someone who's paid to care.
Sharp
Term applied to a pilot or other crew member who has quick and accurate responses to all requirements for his position
She’ll Be Right in a Fortnight or 18 Days
A delightful Aussie saying which meant, not to worry, things will be better in about a couple of weeks or so
Shit for the birds
Nonsense, drivel, irrelevant matter. (A variant,‘That’s for the birds.’ It’s meaningless.)
Short Snorter
One or more bills of currency (usually starting with an American dollar bill) signed by two or more persons and dated. The Short Snorter usually inferred that the owner had crossed the Equator, but not necessarily so. It was loosely understood that if an air crew member offered to exchange signatures, and the other could not produce a Short Snorter, then he had to buy the drinks at the nearest bar. Short Snorters were a great way to get acquainted. As different kinds of currency were acquired in one's travels, it was not unusual for two members of the great flying fraternity to swap examples, whereupon the new bills would be glued to the end of an ever-growing Short Snorter
Six-and-Twenty Tootsie
A girl who makes a flying cadet so heedless of time that he returns late from weekend leave;thereby incurring six demerits and twenty punishment tours.
Skin
A reprimand, oral or written, for a flagrant violation of Army rules. Presumably from ‘skin ‘im alive.’
Sweat
Used in combination with other words, such as: “No Sweat!”, or “Lot’sa Sweat!” This was a very descriptive term meaning exactly what it said. It originated in 1939 or the early 1940’s in the many flight training school s that grew up at that time. The flight training was notoriously tough, and the students were worked by their training instructors almost to the breaking point. In West Texas, California, and other places where the flight training schools were clustered, the airplane cockpit, coupled with the hard-driving instructor, kept the student in a real state of sweat. The students flight clothes, socks and shoes, together with his seat pack parachute could very well become soaking wet with sweat at the end of a brisk period of instruction. When the student would finally get to the showers in the barracks, and a buddy would ask how it went, the student would just as likely say, “S---, that was a no-sweat flight!” Then, his buddy would look at the dried-up salt residue on this guy’s flight suit, and he would know he was hearing that it had really been a tough day, but his friend believed he had survived to fly another day!
T.S. Slip
When a soldier's complaints become unbearable;his listeners frequently tell him to fill out a "T.S. Slip" and send it to the chaplain.
That's All She Wrote
That's all; a customary cry of the company mail clerk at the end of the mail call.
Walkie-Talkie
Portable radio receiving and sending apparatus. Variations: Handie-Talkie;and Spam Can Radio;after its similarity to a can of Spam.
Washing Machine
The mysterious and fearsome flying school administration as it descended on a hapless student to inform him he was being dropped from flight training
Washing Machine Charlie
A term applied, along with copious cuss words to a lone Japanese aircraft buzzing endlessly back and forth across an area, while only occasionally dropping a small bomb, The purpose being to keep the camp awake and in a nervous state. One Japanese airplane this author remembers sounded just like an old Maytag washing machine powered by a small gasoline engine- thus, the name
WW2 Slang Sources:
“Glossary of Army Slang,” American Speech, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Oct., 1941).
“G.I. Lingo,” American Speech, Vol. 20. No. 2 (Apr. 1945)
War Slang: American Fighting Words and Phrases Since the Civil War By Paul Dickson
FUBAR: Soldier Slang of WWII By Gordon L. Rottman