DIVERSE TONGUES.

Taihape Daily Times, 5 September 1918, Page 6

DIVERSE TONGUES.

HOW THE ARMY IS SOLVING A NATIONAL DIFFICULTY. We were too insular before the war (writes an English licut-Coloncl). Foreign tongues were not our strong point. But the Army has grappled with the difficulty. Its graftimar may be poor and we may have forgotten' the French for “the pen of my grandmother,” but our daily converse in mess is sprinkled with so-called French words. “Whisky nahpoo” sums up the situation at once when Fortnum and Mason’s case has failed to arrive. We have just become experts at promener avec and such like difficult verbs. Then the Americans came and new phrases had to be adopted. We rose to the occasion. “Guess we’re ‘stung’ this time,” says the major as his partner puts down “dummy” without a single court card. “Yes, I think we’ve got you ‘trimmed,’ ” is the opponent’s verdict, as he makes a small slam. The late arrival at breakfast im- 1 plores the waiter to “put a breeze behind” the eggs and bacon lest he be late for parade, and bids the padre “connect” him with the tea and sugar at once. Our allies follow our example. In response to “Bong soir, mam’selle,” the Belgian maiden calls out “Cheerio.” In fact, in time, say after the fif-

teenth battle of Ypres, each nation will have adopted its neighbour’s slang, and we shall hear Kai Lung, of the Labour Corps, calling; “My hat, old top; Ah Seng’s wangled a Military Medal.”