American World War II Slang
Popsicle. - Motorcycle.
P.S. Man. - One with previous military experience; one with a previous term of enlistment.
Put That in Your Mess Kit! - Think it over.
Ratzy. - A German; a blend of “rat” and “Nazi.”
Reg’lar. - Regular; first-rate; excellent; a regular soldier.
Retread. - A veteran of World War I fighting in World War II.
Ribbon Happy. - Dazzled by one’s own decorations.
Rock-Happy. - Bored, especially on the rocky islands and atolls of the Pacific.
Roger! - Expression used instead of okay or right.
Rootin’, Tootin’ Son of a Gun. - An energetic person.
Rookie. - A recruit.
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.
Sandpaper the Anchor. - To do unnecessary work.
Saltwater Cowboy. - Marine.
Sea Dust. - Salt.
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.
Serum. - Intoxicating beverages.
Shack Man. - Married man.
Shingles. - Toast.
Shit on a Shingle. - Chipped or creamed beef on toast. Abbreviated as S.O.S.
Short Arm. - Penis.
Short Circuit Between the Ear Phones. - Mental lapse.
Shrapnel. - Grape-Nuts.
Shutters. - Sleeping pills.
Side Arms. - Cream and sugar for coffee.
Sin Buster. - Chaplain.
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.
Sky Scout. - Chaplain.
Snafu. - Situation normal, all fouled (or fucked) up.
Snore Sack. - Sleeping Bag.
S.O.L. - Shit out of luck; often sanitized as “sure out of luck” or “soldier out of luck.”
Son of Mars. - A soldier.
Soul Aviator. - Chaplain.
Soup. - Clouds, rain, and most of all, fog.
Spud Duty. - Kitchen police (K.P.) assignment (i.e., peeling potatoes).
Spuds with the Bark On. - Unpeeled potatoes.
Stinkeroo. - Poor in quality; low grade.
Stripe-Happy. - A soldier too eager for promotion.
Sugar Report. - A letter from a girl.
Suicide Squad. - Those who operate a machine gun under fire.
Superman Drawers. - Woolen underwear.
Superman Suit. - Long, one-piece government-issue underwear.
Swacked. - Intoxicated.
Sweat Something Out. - Wait a long time for something.
Table Muscle. - Fat.
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.
T.N.T. - Today, not tomorrow.
Torpedo Figure. - A woman with a good figure.
Tough Row of Buttons to Shine. - Hard job.
T.S. - Tough situation! Tough shit! In other words, do
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.
Uncle Sam’s Party. - Payday.
U.S.O. Commando. - Hometown hero.
Valley Forge. - Temporary tent city in cold weather.
Walkie-Talkie. - Portable radio receiving and sending apparatus. Variations: Handie-Talkie, and Spam Can Radio, after its similarity to a can of Spam.
Walrus. - One who cannot swim.
Wash Out. - To be eliminated from flight training.
Wilco. Will comply. - This radio code was used throughout the services and taken up by civilians. “Roger — wilco,” means “Okay — I’ll do it.”
Zombie. - A soldier falling in the lowest category in the Army classification test.
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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
