Slanguage!

Cue (NZERS), Issue 13, 15 December 1944, Page 11

Slanguage!

Wo the wealth of slang terms 1 already existing in the three services, the second World War has added an astounding number of rich and sparkling gems of slanguage. ' • # 7 What is slang, anyhow, and how does it differ from ordinary speech.! Gr eenough and Kittredge in «Words and their Ways,» say that slang « is a peculiar kind of vagabond language, always hanging on the outskirts oi legitimate speech, but continually straying or forcing its way into the most respectable company., <Not .a particularly helpful • definition, is it • Perhaps Professor Griffith comes closer when he says « Slang is a continuous attempt by normal people to freshen and enliven speech.. Certainly the chief characteristics of slang are its pithiness, its directness, and its vigorous quality. Slang is a quick leap to expression, it is the language of situation. It is inevitable, then, that wartime should breed slang* arising out of unusual situations and new states of mind. Many Air Force terms in use in this country are Army in origin. The übiquitous « browned off, (from overcooked meat; depressed, fed up) with its companions « cheesed off » and «brassed off » (both seldom heard in New Zealand and denoting various degrees of browned-offedness) originated with the British Army. « You’ve had it,» meaning « you’ve arrived too late,, seems to be strictly Air Force in origin (compare the civilian « to have had some »), as does «to have gone for a. Burton., The latter term meaning « to have gone missing » is especially interesting as it seems to derive from «to have gone for certain,, thus showing traces of the famous Cockney rhyming slang so popular in the last war — «Cape of Good Hope» for « soap,» « plates of meat» for « feet,, and so on. t ; A large, number of British terms are often heard overseas. For instance, if

a thing goes wrong, the Tommy says it is « ropey,; «a ropey chap, is one who makes frequent mistakes, and « a ropey job » denotes an uncollaborative blonde. Instead of « fine - and dandy,, things are « wizard » (this originated in an old American musical comedy, and later had a vogue at Oxford). When everything is under control it is «buttoned up» (amongst ,New Zealanders it is usually « jacked up» or « teed up »). Anything that turns out badly is a « bad show,, of course,’ but also a «black.. The « bad show,, «good show» of the R.A.F. prove almost as wearying, by the way, as the fast-dying « that’ll be the day » and its numerous variants, « that’ll be the bright and sunny,, «that’ll be the pleasant Friday afternoon,, &c., all showing the wearisome lengths to which injudicious use will push an apt piece of slang. x

However, we are concerned here chiefly with New Zealand Army slang. It has been said by some that New Zealand slang is probably the most conservative of all colonial slang.

Yet an examination of New Zealand Army slang shows not only a vigorous use of current slang which gives it a distinctively local . flavour, -but the development of several terms which are as colourful as anything America or England has to offer. /X

Amongst the older expressions still used, « swinging the lead » has not been ousted by the American «gold-brick-ing,, « on the mat, still means 3 telling-off; « scrounge » (from a ,North Country word meaning «to wander idly, to search »); « burgoo » for porridge (from the Turkish burghul, wheat porridge); and « bullring » for the training-ground, still retain their popularity.

But several > newer terms have come to light. Perhaps the best of these is « emu parade » for an organised sanitary scavenge (obviously Australian -in origin, as is a great deal of standard ,New Zealand slang). « Maori P.T., for a sound sleep, usually surreptitious, is self-explanatory. The most important

of Army slang expressions, however, has been « doing the scone» with its variant «doing the bun,» used foi losing one’s grip or one’s temper. «Wouldn’t it rock you ? » is also popular, this indicating astonished reaction, usually to the « Army way.» It has been fairly recently shortened to «Wouldn’t it ?» and may, like the Cheshire cat, soon «fade away completely, leaving only the grin.

« Wouldn’t it rotate you ? » is, however, also common. This seems at first sight to be connected with flying, but several soldiers have solemnly explained that it comes from the fact that when the flanges of a tank become loaded with sand, it tends to spin the vehicle to one side, causing a « rotation » and confusion to the occupants. Judgment should be reserved on this explanation.

A very interesting expression with a definitely literary origin is « choco,» a term of genial contempt used by overseas men of a territorial or Temporary Staff man. This is short for « chocolate soldier,» and derives by way of Oscar Strauss’ operetta «The Chocolate Soldier » from Shaw’s « Arms and the Man,» in which Bluntschli, the cautious soldier, carried chocolate creams instead of bullets in his bandolier. The irony of the expression is, v however, that, in Shaw’s play Bluntschli is the only really practical man, the other soldiers being a lot of fanciful, romantic nincompoops.

Hardly less frequently heard than « doing the scone » is « bludger » and «to bludge.» This is a development of « bludgeoner » from « bludgeon,» a club (in turn, from Dutch bludsen, to bruise). « bludgeoner » was originally a piece of thieves’ cant and meant a harlot’s bully or a bawdy-house chucker-out —that is, one likely to*, use a bludgeon. About 1850 the modification « bludger » is also found. It is not easy to discover how this piece of Cockney criminal argot found its way into the .New Zealand Army. Yet today it is one of the most frequently used terms. The verb «to bludge » has also developed, and usually means «to cadge,» «to scrounge.»

The Middle East has provided us with a good selection of slang terms as well. The most attractive are SABU (self-adjusting b—s—up) and NAFU (untranslatable,- meaning the opposite), with their cynical assessment of admin-

istrative tangles. « Sand-happy,» with its suggestion of « slap-happy,» may be compared with the Pacific «troppo,» both pithily indicating the impact of alien climes on some New Zealand temperaments.

Interesting, too, is «snarlers» for the inevitable Army sausages. « Growlers » is another form, «barkers» still another, the latter the oldest name, which is practically not heard in the New Zealand Army. «Bumph,» the schoolboy’s rude word for toilet-paper, now applied to all useless Army files and documents, seems to have gained universal favour. When one is so busv that one doesn’t know where to turn, Army as well as Air Force men are « in a flat spin,» and any one who gets in a «flap» (state of excitement) is warned with the phrase « Don’t panic !»

After all this, it might not be inappropriate to quote a noted authority on slang, Frank Sechrist, and see how much he says can be truly applied to the slang of the modern .New Zealand soldier. This is what Sechrist says of slang in « The Psychology of Unconventional Language»: «Slang ignores all that belongs to the routine duties of ordinary life; it does not characterise the humdrum and the commonplace. There is little in the vocabulary to suggest innocence and spontaneous playfulness. It is purely unsentimental. It castigates every kind of excess .. It prefers the abrupt and the shocking. It is superior to accepted use through its emotional force.»

Trombones were played in Germany as early as the 15th Century, usually by members of town bands at pageants, banquets and festivals. We don t know, but it may be that the unfortunate effect the sound of a trombone has on many people may have haa something to do with the developmen of the strong streak of melancholia^ 0 characteristic of the German race, we advise you to point this out to our . friend and advise him, for the his pals, to choose some more sootm y instrument.