GOOD-BYE TO THE WAR WORDS.

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 44, 15 November 1919, Page 7

GOOD-BYE TO THE WAR WORDS.

PASSING OF WEIRD PHRASES. (By James Hodson, in the "Daily Mail."). Nearly ten months after the signing of the armistico how many of our war words remain? Six months ago I used to hear Whitehall officials speak of a Minister as "having tho wind up." I ■wonder if any do. so now. • Most of us came back to civil life with a plentiful stock of phrases coined in the trench, barrack-room, or mess. A frightened man was sometimes spoken of as "sweating tin hats," a man who had made a mistake was "for it," anfl tho parting word on the telephone or in the street was invariably "Cheerio!" •Potatoes were known to us as "spuds," jam was "pozzi," gravy was "gippo," tea was "char," and bread was "rootie." 1 we desired anything swiftly* we used the words "tout suite, and if we wanted anybody to go away wo called "allez!" or'"imshi" according to whether our soldiering had been among tho mud oi Flanders or the sands of tho East.

Anything good wo were wont to describe as "Fray Bentos" (from a popular brand of bully beef), and a malingerer was dodging the column," "swinging the lead," or "swinging tho hammer." Stealing was "winning" or "scrounging." A man confined to barracks was 1 doing "jankers" (what a prison flavour that word has) and one in cells was "in the clink" or "behind the wire" or "in the digger" or "in the mush." A frequenter of the Y.M.O.A. was nicknamed a "bun walloper." a franc was "a tank," and if we wanted to borrow a cigarette we. asked a man for "au issue." The Bocho was "Jerry" or "Fritz." "Old bean" and "old thing" as atlectionate terms and "blotto" for intoxication came to us, I think, mainly from tlhe R.A.F. It has not been me to recall, these phrases-. They are now little used. The occasion for them has gone. With our civilian clothes we have assumed a polite tongue. Who,.'for example, would think of asking for the "rootie" ? And no one would readily refer, even playfully, to a sick colleague as "swinging tho lead."

When we were coming home on leave we used to wonder whether our speech would betray us. AVe found usually that it did not. And just as we forgot'words 'temporarily so now we have lost the greater part of theni permanently. "The wind up" seems to be the on'ly phrase, esentially war-made that has stuck and will stick. . . We are still, on occasion, "old, bean," "blotto" is heard in our clubs, and "Cheerio!" Will never die out in this generation, but just as we are forgetting the war—because we are forgetting it, whether for good or ill—so tho language of dug-out, of tent, of battle, and of barrack-room is passing away. I am not sure whether I am glad or not about it. Those rude words had an invigorating quality.