Appendix talk:Australian English military slang

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Latest comment: 5 years ago by Thnidu in topic Uses obscure terms to define obscure terms.
Jump to navigation Jump to search

"Pogue" is US Marine Corps slang for rear echelon / useless personnel, since at least the 1930s.

Your meaning for the word SCRAN is not correct, as it is also used in the Royal Navy as slang for food. Ken Green

Is there an issue with this being unsourced? Not ediscussion at w:Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Australian Army Slang --Matilda 01:15, 2 December 2008 (UTC)Reply

Note potential sources at Glossary of Slang and Peculiar Terms in Use in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 - Australian National Dictionary Centre. They have the caveat: Mirroring of this site is not allowed, but links to this site are encouraged.--Matilda 01:15, 2 December 2008 (UTC)Reply

Fish head is also slang for surface warfare personnel by Navy aircrew. As in I was fish heading to get my watch keeping certificate. The fish heads call aircrew birdies. 220.237.117.136 07:20, 20 March 2009 (UTC)Reply

Ken - Aussie Military Slang, not RN, however, you are correct.

Wombat Gun - when it was in service I referred to it as the 'Wombat Gun' or 'Spud Gun'; it was used - that is the slang was used. I am still in, so from '89 until it went out of service we called it one of those. Cheers.

BUM FODDER-Toilet paper DIRKED- Same as being stabbed but mainly in the back.ie Cann't go to the boozer tonight,I was dirked for piquet. LUMPY FRONT-Female FRONT BUM-Female RAINBOW WARRIOR-Gay HELICOPTER PIQUET-Sleeping,as in laying on your back gazing skyward. DON'T BE GAY- Don't be a sook,wimp out. F*CK OFF BISCUIT- A very nice tasing biscuit in the ration pack. Comes from someone asking can they have one of yours,only to be told to F*CK OFF. JUNGLES - A soldier who is considered Green & Dense.

Uses obscure terms to define obscure terms.[edit]

The article should use plain English to define the special terms. Using lingo and acronyms to define the terms means that only people familiar with the Australian military can make easy use of the article -- which is a problem. (I'm in Canada watching the "Sea Patrol" TV series.)

That said, I think would be fine to give an example sentence using all lingo. But the initial definition should be in common English words. 50.71.37.239 02:57, 25 February 2012 (UTC)Reply

Agree with the IP. Additionally, the list could benefit from a clean-up by someone acquainted with the slang, and a look at spelling and interpunction. There seems to be some content that was just entered on a drive-by visit, with typos and all, and even sometimes just referring to persons known solely to the author. I could do some typo clean-up, but not being Australian and not being a native speaker, I'd leave the rest to someone who is.
Example:
Felching Turd Burglar - usually relates to someone from 5/7RAR ie Grant Blakely who was the Battalion Blowfly
--Zipor haNefesch (talk) 12:22, 7 July 2013 (UTC)Reply


"Beer Issue - "Two beers per night perhaps" Refers to the practice of issuing each sailor two beers either on a special occasion or (rarely) when the time can be spared."

First thing, it was Beer *ration* and it was Two Cans Per Man Per Day Per Haps ... (the accented syllables of perhaps of course matching the others). ... from the time when this was an actual thing, every day, issued every day at the wet parade each evening, and not "on a special occassion".

And "Scran" is just scran, not SCRAN.

It's also missing "Veggie" - derogatory term for the Naval Police.

(former DDG Greenie) 60.242.240.63 09:02, 19 November 2013 (UTC)Reply

It's not just lingo and acronyms from Australian military usage that are troublesome. Everyday Australian slang, and even non-slang words particular to Aussie English, are generally going to baffle non-Aussie readers. I just added the definition of "arvo" ("afternoon") to the example under Doona wrestling:
a favourite "sport"; i.e., sleeping. (Doona is an Australian term meaning duvet or quilt). "What are you doing for sport this arvo?", "I'm doona wrestling." See Cyclone training.
--Thnidu (talk) 03:48, 10 May 2019 (UTC)Reply