World War 2 American Slang: A Collection

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

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There are currently 13 names in this directory beginning with the letter T.
T.N.T
Today;not tomorrow.
T.S.
Tough situation! Tough shit!
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.
Table Muscle
Fat.
Tail-End Charlie
The last airplane in a bombing formation
Taxi up
Come here.
That's All She Wrote
That's all; a customary cry of the company mail clerk at the end of the mail call.
That's for the Birds
Nonsense;drivel;irrelevant matter.
Thousand-Yard-Stare
Name given to the look of a man with a combat-harrowed psyche.
Tiger Meat
Beef.
Tin Pickle
A torpedo or submarine.
Torpedo Figure
A woman with a good figure.
Tough Row of Buttons to Shine
Hard job.

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

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