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Jack's Speak
I thought I'd a add a small glossary of Naval language (Jack's Speak) to this site. Some of the words and sayings I haven't used in yonks. Others have quite literally stuck in the mind and my vocabulary since 1977! I make no apology for nicking some of these from the official RN site and I have left off some of the bootneck sayings as they still haven't accepted that they are actually in the RN!. However in this PC world a lot of the language we used in the Andrew is supposedly now unsayable and unprintable. But not on this site! So if you are easily offended by simple words please click off this page now. As the language we used, apart from the obligatory 'bad' language was an integral part of being a Matelot in the late years of the last century and I for one miss the humour and colour that it bought into everyday life.
I have also added a short summary of some of the more common nicknames given to Matelots across the Andrew. They certainly added to the spice of life in the RN.
Please feel free to contact me if I have missed anything important off either of the lists and I will add it.
A
Adrift
Aimer
All clips
Anchor faced
Ankle biters
Andrew, The
To be late reporting for duty
A military driver
Swear a dit/story is true
To be totally intoxicated by the Navy
Children
The Royal Navy
B
Babies heads
Bang box
Bag-rat
Banjo
Banyan
Belay
Bezzy
Bite
Bimble
Bin liner job
Bone (1)
Bone (2)
Bootneck/Booty
Brag rags
Brown hatter
Brown job
Buffer
Bulkhead
Bundy
Burma Way
Buzz
Tinned steak & kidney pudding
Gun turret
Packed lunch
A sandwich
An impromptu beach party
To cease doing something
Best as in 'bezzy oppo' - best mate
To fool or make someone believe something stupid
To walk slowly
An bird who's so ugly she who requires a bin liner to cover her entire body
A stupid person or thing to do
To have sex
A Royal Marine
Medal ribbons
A homosexual
The Army
Senior Seaman on board ship
A wall on boards ship
A curry/curry house
The main corridor on a ship running for'ard to aft
A rumour - usually untrue!
C
Chad valley
Chad as your dad
Chateau crappers
Chicken on a raft
Chins
Chippy
Chit
Civvy
Clap
Club swinger
Cockie
Crabby
Crabfat
Crash out
A piece of equipment prone to breaking down
See above!
Cheap and nasty wine
Egg on toast
Hard luck
Carpenter
A request form
Civilian
Veneral disease
PT instructor
Cockroach
Dirty
A member of the RAF
Get your head down,Go to sleep
D
Deck (1)
Deck (2)
Deck head
Dhobi
Dhobi dust
Dhobi waller
Dig out
Dipped out/dipped in
Dit
Divvers
Divisions
Doc
Dog
Doofer
Dose
Double bagger
Drip
Dropping a sprog
Duff
The floor
To deck - to knock someone to the floor
The ceiling
Wash
Washing powder
Someone who does the laundry - usually Chinese
To make an effort
To miss out on something/ make an unexpectedly gain
A story
Gorgeous woman (divine)
A naval parade
Any medical personnel
A really ugly woman
A bit that goes on something
Veneral disease - a dose of the clap
Someone so ugly that you put a bin liner over your own head in case theirs falls off!
To moan
Giving birth
Pudding
E
Essence
A gorgeous woman (very occasionally a man)
F
Fastback
Fat knacker
Fez
Flannel
Fish head
Flapping
Flat
FLASA
Foo-foo
Taxi
Unfit person
Far East Station
Waffle/bullshit
Fleet Air Arm's name for a sailor
Panicking (flapping around like a headless chicken
Open space between mess decks on board ships
Face Like A Slapped Arse
Talcum powder
G
Galley (1)
Galley (2)
Gannet
Gash
Gen
Gizzit
Gobshite
Goffers (1)
Goffers (2)
Green
Greenie
Grippo
Grippo book
Gronk
Gulpers
Gultch
Guz
A ships kitchen
Junior rates dining hall
Someone who eats a lot
Rubbish
True/genuine
A free gift/something unwanted that might prove useable
Someone with a big mouth who usually talks rubbish
A big wave
Cold fizzy drinks
Someone who is naive or gullible
Electricial branch of the RN
Someone who latches on to a free run ashore
Book filled with female contact details who you can meet up with ashore
An ugly woman
A quantity of drink somewhere between 'sippers' and 'sandy bottoms'
A small, more private area of a mess deck. Eg. Granny gultch - usually taken by the longest serving AB's/Leading hands
Plymouth
H
Heads
The ships's toilets
I
Icers
Ickies
In the rattle/shit
Really cold
Foreign Currency
In serious trouble
J
Jack
Jack's Taxi
Jack Dusty
Jenny
Jimmy (the 1)
Joss Man
A sailor of the RN
A Matelots ship
RN supply rating
A Wren (WRNS)
The First Lieutenant
The Master At Arms
K
Klebbies
Kit muster
Foreign money, usually coins
A personal kit inspection
L
Lash up (1)
Lash up (2)
Limers
Loafing
To treat someone
A cock up
Lime cordial or other non fizzy cordial drink
Hanging about aimlessly/leave something loafing about
M
Make and mend
Mankey
Minging (1)
Minging (2)
Mortal
Early finish to a days work
Dirty
Drunk
A really ugly woman
To be extremely drunk
N
Neaters
Nelson's eye
Nines
Nosser/Nozzer
Nutty
To drink Pusser's rum neat
A jammy dodger biscuit
A Navy punishment (There are loads of others, all numbered)
A fresh, raw recruit
Sweets/chocolate
O
Old Man - The
Oggies
Oggin
One-eye
Oppo
The Skipper/captain of the ship
Cornish pasties
The sea
An idiot
Friend/mate
P
Party
Percy
Pig
Piglet
Pigsty
Pinged
Pipe
Pit
Pompey
Pongo
Proffed
Pusser
Girlfriend
Someone from the Army
Officer
Midshipman
The Wardroom
To be spotted
Whistle used to send orders. Also ships broadcast system
Bed space, bed or bunk
Portsmouth
Army - From 'where the army goes, the pong goes too!'
Goods aquired from dubious methods, usually from the Establishment!
The Royal Navy/Marines as a whole
Q
Quaff
To drink/consume usually quickly
R
Rabbits
Rat arsed
RDP
Presents or souvenirs
To be very drunk
Running Down Period - referring to the last few months of being in the mob
R
Rabbits
Rat arsed
RDP
Regie (also known as a Crusher)
ROMFT
Roughers
Rounds
Run ashor
Presents or souvenirs
To be very drunk
Running Down Period - referring to the last few months of being in the mob
A Regulator - Naval policeman
Roll On My Fucking Time - Used by a hacked off Matelot usually after they have put in their notice to quit the RN
Rough sea/stormy weather
Ship's inspection carried out daily, usually by the Officer of the Day
A night out
S
S&S
Sad on
Scab lifter
Scran bag (1)
Scran bag (2)
Secure
Shipper
Shitehawk
Sick bay
Sick bay ranger
Sick dick queue
Sick on a raft
Singers
Sippers
Skimmer
Soap Dodger
Sods opera
Spin
Splice The Mainbrace
Split-arse
Spondoolies
Sprog
Stoker
Stand easy
Swamp
Sweat neaters
The supply and secretariat branch of the RN - Cooks, stewards, stores etc.
To be depressed
RN medic
An untidy rating - see below
A bag where loose bits of kit are kept
To finish for the day or end of watch
A fellow seaman or shipmate
A large seagull
RN medical centre
Someone who spends a lot of time off sick
The queue formed the morning after a ship leaves port by ratings who have possibly caught VD
Scrambled eggs on toast
Singapore
A sip of a drink
Submariners name for a sailor serving on a surface ship
A sailors name for a submariner
A show put on at sea by the ships company
To tell or explain
An issue of a tot of rum (I got two in 5 years!)
A Wren
Money
A child/juinior rating with no sea time
Mechanical branch of the RN
A tea break
To wet something, to swamp your pit - wet your bed
To be really worried
T
Three badger/badge man
Tilly
Tot
An old sea dog with 12 years good conduct but who has usually not gone beyond Able seaman
Dockyard transport usually driven by a civvie
A measure of Pussers rum - sadly gone but given out as a treat on special occasions.
U
Uckers
A mess game losely based on Ludo
V
W
WAFU
Wardroom
Wet
Wren
Winger
Wing it
Wooly pulley
Sailors name for a member of the Fleet Air arm
The officers mess
A drink
A female sailor
A close friend
Make it up as you go along
Service issue wooly jumper
X
Y
Yomp
Yonks
To force march with a heavy load
A long time
Z
Zeds
To get some sleep
Jack's Names
Another thing that made life so rich in the RN was the rich diversity of nicknames, usually 'allocated' during the first draft after basic training, they stuck with the owner until the day they left the Andrew. Woe be tide anyone with a physical 'defect' as this would be picked up in seconds by your oppo's and as they say - "A nickname's for life, not just for Christmas!"
This list is by no means exhaustive, and obviously a 'deformity' or 'memorable act' nickname would 'trump' a 'place of origin' nickname! Therefor A Jones or Davies from Wales would for example forgo 'Taff' for a more fitting nickname! In my time in the RN I can still remember 'One Bollock' B*****n, A Gunnery Officer called 'No legs', a 'Two bits' L*******t, and a black Cook who insisted his name was 'Chip' but was instantly christened 'Kissy!" There are literally thousands more!
Below are some of the more common and printable nicknames used.
Surname/Connection
Taylor
Rogers
Williams
Edwards
Matelots from Scotland
Matelots from Wales
Matelots from Ireland
Murphey
Matelots from South West
Matelots from the North East
Matelots from the Midlands
Matelots from Liverpool
Roberts
Anyone a bit weird looking
A Glaswegian
Matelots from Yorkshire
Ward
White/Winter
Parker
Nickname
Buck
Buck
Bungy
Bungy
Jock
Taff/Taffy
Paddy
Spud
Jan/Janner
Goeoge/Geordy
Brum
Scouse
Harry
Plug
Jimmy
Yorkie
Sharkey
Snowy/Snowie
Fess
Surname/Connection
Steer
Withers
Mills
Smith
Clark/Clarke
White
Brown
Miller/Rhodes
Bell
Gray
Thompson
Pearce
Wood
Holliday
Macintosh
Mac or Mc + name
Webb
Wilson
Paine
Nickname
Bum
Googie
Bomber
Smudge
Nobby
Chalkie
Buster
Dusty
Dinger
Dolly
Thommo
Jimmy
Woody/Knock on
Doc
Tosh
Mac
Spider
Tug
Wacker