Army & Navy - Leatherneck Lingo

TIME

July 19, 1943 12:00 AM GMT-4

The Marine Corps Chevron at San Diego gathered and published a glossary of leatherneck slang heavily flavored with Chinese, Tagalog, pidgin English and plain Navy. Examples:

Bean bag—meal pennant aboard ship.

Charlie Noble—smoke pipe from a ship’s galley (not to be leaned against).

Collision-mats—pancakes.

Down—to pass (“Down the meat”).

Sea dust—salt.

Maggie’s drawers—red flag indicating a clean miss on the rifle range.

Maskee—okay.

Ear-banger—apple polisher; yes man.

Gizmo—a term of universal significance, capable of meaning “gadget,” “stuff,” “thing,” “whozis” or almost anything else the speaker wants it to.

Boksok—crazy; berserk.

Brew—beer, the standard Marine beverage.

One brew—a minor-league drinker.

Go-to-hell hat—overseas cap.

Pogie bait—candy.

Pungyo—pal.

Rip ho—How the drill sergeant pronounces “To the rear, march!”

Segoonya—woman.

Shohiza—punk or jerk.

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