Swear Like a Trooper: A Dictionary of Military Terms & Phrases

by William L. Priest

For the armchair linguist or the military historian, this is a comprehensive compilation of military lingo from Hannibal to Hanoi. William Priest traces the evolution of each term or phrase as it moves from its point of origin to other branches of service and into foreign countries. For instance, in the 19th century a "swab" was a mop made from condemned rope; however, it was also the sailor's slang for naval officer, from the shoulder epaulets (a mop-like braid) that marked an officer's rank. At that time, to call a sailor a swab was one of the highest forms of insult; it was not until the 1880s that sailors were called swabs or swabbies (men who swab the decks) in general lingo. Examples such as these can be found throughout SWEAR LIKE A TROOPER.

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Ray Pierson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This dictionary has some interesting terms, but I found a number of errors. It cannot be used as a serious reference.