Deggers Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Quiz time! Bit of fun. No pints, no points or prizes (just bragging rights). Define the following WW2 RAF slang terms. (Those caught Googling under desks will be sent to the Headmaster for a stern talking to, and a letter home to mother!) Kite Bandit Mae West Brolly Sparks (The) Drink Meat wagon (The) Juice Heat wagon (The) Ditch Burton, gone for a Scramble Grow-bag Dhobi dust Char Bus driver Plumber Fang farrier God botherer (Mr) Fireworks Gremlin Snowdrop Oppo Winco Best blue Glamour boys Milk run Scrambled eggs Tin fish Kipper Fleet Banana boat Pebble Monkey Bogey Ropey Rigger Nickel Blower Sweeny Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bleednipple Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 A lot of those are multi service rather than RAF specific. Eg: Fang farrier = dentist Oppo = mate (lit, opposite number), or ops officer God botherer = chaplain Tin fish = torpedo I could go on (and on). Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Deggers said: Kite Aeroplane Bandit Enemy aircraft Mae West life jacket Brolly parachute I guess Sparks Electrician (The) Drink The sea Meat wagon Ambulance (The) Ditch Crash land in the drink Burton, gone for a Expired, gone to meet his maker etc Scramble get in the air quickly Oppo crew Winco Wing Commander Glamour boys Pilots Scrambled eggs decoration on senior officers hats Bogey see Bandit Bob. Edited February 19, 2021 by Lebro Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RobH Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Bally Gerry did a whoopsie: (can't find the original, just this cartoon......) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted February 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Close Bob, but no cigar (The) Ditch To ditch, is indeed to bale out (or crash) into the sea. The Ditch however, is something a little more specific . . . . Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Kite Plane Bandit German or whatever opposing force Mae West Life Jacket Brolly Parachute Sparks Electrician (The) Drink The sea Meat wagon Ambulance (The) Juice Petrol/aviation spirit Heat wagon ? (The) Ditch In the channel Burton, gone for a Dead/Goner Scramble Immediate take off Grow-bag? Dhobi dust? Char Tea Bus driver Transport command pilot Plumber Doctor? Fang farrier Dentist God botherer Chaplain or any committed member of the faith (Mr) Fireworks Armourer Gremlin Anything that stopped working was sid to have been attacked by Gremlins Snowdrop Military Police Oppo Another crew member Winco Wing Commander Best blue No1 Uniform Glamour boys Fighter pilots Milk run Regular operational flight where there was no likelihood of oppostion Scrambled eggs Braid on officers cap Tin fish Torpedo Kipper Fleet Air sea rescue launches Banana boat Seaplane Pebble Monkey? Bogey Opposing force airplane Ropey Not very good Rigger Airframe mechanic Nickel? Blower Telephone Sweeny Something strange as in Sweeney Todd/Odd Thats as many as I could get straight off Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted February 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 (edited) That's bagged most of 'em, Stuart. Yep, "the Ditch" is The English Channel. "The Juice" being the North Sea. Bus driver is a transport / bomber pilot Banana boat is an aircraft carrier (rather than a seaplane). But, on the right lines with Sweeny Todd. It's "a haircut to service standards." So, just these : Heat wagon Grow-bag Dhobi dust Plumber Pebble Monkey Nickel Edited February 19, 2021 by Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crawfie Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 (edited) Is dhobi dust some sort of washing powder ? Edited February 19, 2021 by Crawfie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony_C Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Yep Crawfie! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony_C Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Navy had that way before RAF btw Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted February 19, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 4 hours ago, Bleednipple said: A lot of those are multi service rather than RAF specific. 2 hours ago, Tony_C said: Navy had that way before RAF btw Duly noted chaps. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bleednipple Posted February 19, 2021 Report Share Posted February 19, 2021 Heat wagon = fire engine Quote Link to post Share on other sites
little jim Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 We called the Service Police spitz(s) You could add 'bang out' for 'eject'. 'Snowdrop' obviously has a totally different meaning over there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RogerH Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 I will not post the answers but Google works well. Roger Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hamish Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 Grow bag = sleeping bag ? nickle = pay ?? just guessing now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Morrison Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 One missed from the list, Pilots called ground crew, 'Penguins' cause they couldn't fly. John. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bleednipple Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 2 minutes ago, Hamish said: Grow bag = sleeping bag ? Army term for a sleeping bag is a green maggot or doss bag. I suspect there was no wartime RAF term because sleeping bags for military personnel were only introduced in around the 1960s. Wartime soldiers and airmen in the field would have made do with a grey blanket if they had one. I have the vaguest recollection that grow bags were service issue 'drawers, cellular' (ie underpants), I definitely remember the term but might be mis-remembering what it meant. Military slang is fascinating as it reflects so many of the times and places where British forces were stationed. Hence so many Indian/Hindi borrowed words, even if post-war soldiers often have no idea where they came from. Eg bondook (rifle), sangar (protective shelter, later a watchtower in Northern Ireland, and by derivation sangar-banger for a local female positively disposed towards the security forces), buckshee (spare, free, surplus), blighty, cushy and dekko (all now in general English). The Royal Marines naturally use a lot of naval jargon like having a wet (cup of tea) mixed with army slang. Also, while Royal Marines yomp, Paras tab. Those terms became more widely used throughout the services after the Falklands conflict. Speaking of comestibles, we of course have egg banjo (fried egg between two slices of white bread), NATO standard (instant coffee, milk and two sugars), stickies (any form of confectionary) and the prospect of those, or indeed any positive outcome: chuffed to Naafi-breaks. Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
stuart Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 Pebble monkey RAF Regiment. Stuart. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
john.r.davies Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 I think "Dhobi dust" predates both RAF and Navy usage. A "dhobi" is a member of a caste of laundry workers in India, for whom the Army would have become customers at a very early date, possible when it wasn't the British Army, but the ones run by the East India Company in the 18th Century. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bleednipple Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 2 hours ago, stuart said: Pebble monkey RAF Regiment. Stuart. Ah yes, even more disparaging than the original, rock ape. Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tony_C Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 Yep JOhn, you are on the right track for sure...... I’m still going to maintain ‘Navy’ of sorts was first!..... After all, wasn’t East India Co mixture of armed Merchant Navy / Pirates? The Merch always still use that one! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bleednipple Posted February 20, 2021 Report Share Posted February 20, 2021 1 hour ago, john.r.davies said: I think "Dhobi dust" predates both RAF and Navy usage. A "dhobi" is a member of a caste of laundry workers in India, for whom the Army would have become customers at a very early date, possible when it wasn't the British Army, but the ones run by the East India Company in the 18th Century. Yes a lot of those terms, like dhobi taken to mean laundry, were in widespread use across the Raj. Some of the well known ones, like jodhpurs and bungalow, got brought back and used by civilians in Britain, while others only survived in service use. Eg chogie shop which I assume is from and Middle East/South Asian word, possibly disparaging, but in the Army means a kiosk-type shop on a larger operational military base, usually with an Asian proprietor. They would sometimes also take in dhobi and do uniform repairs and alterations etc which might be needed if you partook of too many chogie-burgers and hence became a Tubby Two Belts or a JAFFA (Just Another Fat F****** A**hole). Happy days. Nigel Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Deggers Posted February 21, 2021 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 Just to tie up the last few then : Grow-bag = a flight suit, so named due to its untidy appearance. Plumber = a member of the armament / ground trade. Nickel = a sortie over enemy territory to drop leaflets. Bonus points to those who posted additional information . . . especially Nigel (I'm definitely adopting "Chogie-burgers" and "Tubby Two Belts" into my everyday conversation, Nigel!) . Cheers all, Deggers Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Alfrom Posted February 21, 2021 Report Share Posted February 21, 2021 another common one was 'fairy' a flight line radar/wireless techie, used in a derogatory sense of course mainly by riggers and engine fitters ( the heavies) Less common: Zobbit - a commissioned officer but I came across it only during my apprenticeship. how about Knuckle draggers - the RAF Regiment Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lebro Posted February 22, 2021 Report Share Posted February 22, 2021 "Bought it" as in Freddie Bought it over the channel. RIP Bob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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