Salvoes  Salvation Army.

General Australian. From 1891 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

F&G record this as also meaning ‘A Salvation Army Hut. By permission of the authorities in the War, various religious bodies, the Y.M.C.A. and others, maintained establishments for the rest and recreation of the men behind the lines’.

Sand  Sugar.

General. From 1812 (OED).

This is originally used for ‘moist sugar’; from the later 19th century, it referred merely to ‘sugar’, and was mostly a Navy term (Partridge).

San-Fairy-Ann  It does not matter, don’t worry. Corruption of the French ‘Ça ne fait rein’.

General World War I. Corruption of the French. From 1919 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

Various sources attest to the popularity of this expression during World War I. There are a few variations: ‘san ferry ann’(Digger Dialects), ‘Aunt Mary Ann’ (F&G), and ‘sandbag Mary Ann’ (Dickson).

Sarge  Sergeant.

General. Originally US. From 1867 (DAE, OED). Attested in numerous sources.

Sarmajor  Sergeant-Major.

General. From 1919 (OED).

Less well attested than sarge, this term was first recorded in Digger Dialects.

Sausage  A captive balloon.

General World War I. From 1916 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

‘Sausage balloons’ were kite balloons used for observation, and hoisted and lowered by cable behind the lines (B&P). The term ‘sausage balloon’ was used in the 19th century for ‘an elongated aeronautical balloon’ (OED).

Say-pah  Don’t know. Corruption of the French, ‘Je ne sais pas’.

World War I. Corruption of the French. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Scales  To have scales on one’s belly; to be a sycophant; a crawler.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

*Scamperer  Runner; front line messenger.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Digger Dialects records this as ‘scarperer’, suggesting a short-lived word based on the slang sense of ‘scarper’ meaning ‘to run away’ (Partridge). ‘Scamperer’ is recorded by Green and Partridge as a late 18th – early 19th century term meaning ‘a street ruffian’.

Scrag  Man-handle.

General. From 1835 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

Scran  Food.

General. From 1808 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This was first used in the sense of ‘a collection of eatables’ but was, by the late 19th century, often used in a military context for ‘rations’ (Partridge).

Scrap  A fight.

General. From 1846 (OED).

Partridge makes the comment that in World War I and subsequently, ‘scrap’ has come to mean ‘ battle’. NODE suggests that its origin is in ‘scrap’ meaning ‘sinister plot, scheme’ in the late 17th century.

Screw, To have a  To look.

General. From 1907 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

Screwed  Drunk.

General. From 1837 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This might be influenced by the sense of ‘tight’ meaning ‘drunk’.

Scrounge  (1) To pilfer; to cadge; to seize. (2) A pilferer, a thief, scrounging, mean, sharp, always looking after number 1; scroungerer; a cadger esp. a cadger of cigarettes, etc.

(1) General. From 1909 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This derived from the British dialect ‘scrunge’, meaning ‘steal’. B&P write of ‘scrounge’ during World War I: ‘To steal, not personal belongings, but from a department or some other embodiment of authority. More army property changed hands in France by scrounging than by legitimate means.’

(2) The noun sense in this form is attested here but not otherwise recorded.

The term ‘scrounger’, however, is common.

 

*Sell A Pup  To deceive; trick; fail to fulfill an obligation.

General. From 1901 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

The OED defines this as meaning ‘to swindle by selling something on its prospective value’, first used literally and then figuratively.

*Send Along  See ‘Put up’.

General Australian. From ca. 1870 (Partridge). Attested in Digger Dialects, Green, and Partridge.

*Send Her Down Steve  Let it rain on.

General World War I. Australian (Partridge).

The more common Australian expression is ‘send her down Hughie’, current from 1912 (AND). ‘Send her down Steve’ is attested in Green and Partridge and is Australian. ‘Send it down David (or Davy)’ is recorded by F&G and seems to be a British variant. The catchphrase was used when a shower of rain began, especially if it was likely to postpone or cancel a parade. Hargrave adds that it was used sarcastically during wet weather.

*Sergt. Major  The crown in ‘Crown and Anchor’.

General military. Attested in Digger Dialects, F&G, and Partridge.

F&G explain that this was suggested by the crown on a Company Sergeant Major’s sleeve.

Set  (1) Fixed; all arranged; adapted from ‘two-up’ in which it is used to indicate that the money staked by the spinner has been covered by other betters. (2) ‘Got him set’, treating him unfairly through malice.

(1) General Australian. From 1915 (AND).

(2) General Australian. From 1899 (AND).

Seventyfive The French 75mm gun.

World War I. From 1915 (OED).

The OED defines this as ‘a gun of 75mm calibre formerly used in the armies of the French Republic and the USA’.

Seventyseven The German 77mm gun.

World War I. Attested here but not otherwise recorded.

Sheila  A girl.

General Australian. From 1832 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

*Shell Hole Soldiers  One who lags behind the advance.

World War I. Not otherwise recorded.

This presumably refers to soldiers who stayed in shell-holes, rather than advancing.

Shell-shocked  Badly knocked about by artillery fire, usually used in reference to a village; dump, etc.

World War I. This exact sense attested here but not otherwise recorded.

‘Shell-shock’ was in use from 1915 to refer to the psychological condition affecting soldiers during World War I. F&G provide the following information: ‘The popular term in the War for an obscure form of nervous disease prevalent in the Army. It was officially adopted in 1916 and applied to all forms of psycho-neurosis; although by neurologists the term was limited to cases of concussion or commotion of the brain, directly caused by shell explosion. Often due to fatigue, anxiety and emotional instability from prolonged strain, resulting in final breakdown, precipitated by a shell-burst near the sufferer. Owing to the number of claims for gratuity for “Shell Shock”, allowable as a battle-casualty, Army Form W 3436 was issued requiring evidence by eye-witnesses of the proximity of a soldier to the bursting shell. One result recorded at Base hospitals was that dread of a return to service in the trenches induced the development of a form of shell-shock among highly strung men, in the form of hysteria, tremors, convulsions, paralysis, blindness, deafness, etc. It was stated in the House of Lords in 1920, that in the early days of the War, before Shell Shock was fully understood, death sentences for cowardice and desertion were passed and executed on men, who in the light of later experience were suffering from shell-shock and really not responsible for their actions. Since the war, the term has been officially abolished, in favour of the technical term “Psycho-neurosis”, owing, among other reasons, to widespread abuses, through men unjustifiably posing as “Shell shock victims” to attract public sympathy.’

Shick  Intoxicated.

General Australian. From 1907 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This is an abbreviation of ‘shicker’, from the Yiddish ‘shiker’.

Shining Stars  Officers commissioned in Australia and wearing bright brass badges etc. instead of the oxidized kind usually worn by infantry in France.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Shirty  Angry.

General. From 1846 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This derives from the phrase ‘to get a person’s shirt out’, meaning ‘to lose one’s temper’ (OED).

*Shooting Gallery  The front line.

World War I. Attested in Digger Dialects, F&G, and Partridge.

*Shooting-Iron  18 pounder field piece.

World War I. This sense attested here and in Digger Dialects.

This was used of ‘a rifle, or any firearm’, from the late 18th century (F&G, Green, and Partridge).

Short-Arm  A medical inspection of the penis.

General World War I. From 1919 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This was an abbreviation of ‘short-arm inspection’, an inspection for venereal disease. B&P write, ‘Conducted periodically by the M.O., to detect symptoms of venereal disease. A platoon of men would be lined up, without privacy, in a hut. The soldiers’ name is derived, by obvious analogy, from the parade inspection of rifles.’

*Shot Up the Back  Disconcerted; confused.

World War I. This sense attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

F&G and Partridge record this as meaning ‘to be found out’. Partridge records this as a euphemism for ‘shot up the arse’.

*Show a Point  Deceive, use deceitfully. See ‘sell a pup’.

General. Originally New Zealand. From 1907 (DNZE). Attested in Partridge.

Arthur and Ramson in Digger Dialects suggest that this is related to the sense of ‘point’ as to ‘take unfair advantage of a person, a situation’.

*Shrap  Abbreviation of shrapnel. Used as a name for paper currency in low denominations by the various communes and towns in France, principally because of its tendency to disintegrate after a little use, also on account of the number of notes required to amount to any considerable sum. Also ‘Pork & Beans’.

General World War I. New Zealand (Partridge). Attested in Digger Dialects, Green, and Partridge.

It is unclear what the ‘Pork & Beans’ reference is to, but it is also recorded in Digger Dialects. Partridge writes of the French paper currency, ‘they were often holey, as though punctuated by shrapnel’.

*Shrapnel Battery  Field-Cooker.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Shrewd Head  A cunning person.

General 20th century (Partridge). Attested in Digger Dialects, Green, and Partridge.

Partridge notes this was mostly Australian/New Zealand military.

Shrewdy  See ‘Shrewd Head’.

General Australian. From 1904 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This is also sometimes spelt ‘shrewdie’.

Shut-Eye  Sleep.

General. From 1899 (OED).

This originally appeared in a Services’ context, but has also been used generally in the 20th century.

 *Silly-Grin  An ironical ejaculation importing pain or misfortune.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not recorded otherwise.

Sin-shifter  An Army chaplain.

General. From 1912 (OED). Attested in Digger Dialects and Green.

This later referred to any clergyman (Green).

*Sit on the Tail  To fly slightly above and in the rear of an enemy aeroplane.

General Flying. From 1919 (OED). Attested in Digger Dialects.

Digger Dialects is the first recorded evidence of this phrase.

Sit-Pat  Remain quiet.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

This is probably based on the general ‘pat’ used as an adverb meaning ‘exactly suitable or to the purpose, apposite, apt; ready or suitable for the occasion, opportune. (Said esp. of things spoken.)’ (OED), and used as a poker term.

Skirt  A girl.

General. From 1560 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This was used generally of women, especially attractive ones.

Skittled  Killed.

General. From 1919 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

Digger Dialects is the first recorded evidence of the figurative use of ‘skittled’, ‘to knock down’. Green and Partridge suggest this sense is mostly Australian.

Sky Pilot  A minister of religion; chaplain.

General. From 1888 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This term probably had its origins in naval slang and was commonly used throughout the Services.

*Slander  An improper or unfair action; or abuse.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Slanter  False play; deliberately trying to lose when running a race, etc.

General Australian. From 1864 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This has various spelling, including ‘schlanter’, ‘schelenter’ and ‘slinter’. It originated in Dutch and Afrikaans, and as ‘schlenter’ is current in South African English meaning ‘not genuine, counterfeit’.

*Slap  ‘To have a slap’, to make an attempt.

General. From 1840 (OED).

Slap-up  Good.

General. From 1823 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This was often taken to mean more than ‘good’. Something that was ‘slap-up’ was ‘of superior quality’, ‘first-rate, grand’.

Slapped Up  Improvised; a hurried job.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Slatherer  See ‘Snifter’.

Not otherwise recorded.

This sense of ‘slather’ is likened to snifter which is defined as ‘extraordinarily good or big’. ‘Slather’ used in a standard sense generally means ‘a large amount’. It is originally from the US, from 1876 (DAE).

Sling  ‘Sling him one’, or sling a salute.

‘Sling him one’, World War I. From 1919 (Digger Dialects).

Partridge records ‘sling him one’ as an Army and RAF term from the 1930s, a variant of ‘throw one up’ meaning ‘to salute’. This term is attested here and in Digger Dialects, suggesting that it may well have been current from World War I.

Slip  To make a mistake; to lose an advantage (e.g. to slip for pay).

General. From 1435 (OED).

*Slippery-dick  See ‘Rubber-heeled Jack’.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Sloosh  A wash. Corruption of ‘sluice’.

General. From 1912 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

OED does suggest that this might be a variant of ‘sluice’, but it is also echoic, like ‘slosh, slush’.

Slug  Strike; punch.

General. From 1862 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This was originally a dialect term, and is also widely used in the US. It now has general currency.

*Slushey  A mess orderly.

General Australian. From 1880 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This was first used in Australia of ‘a cook’s assistant, especially for a shearing gang’, transferred from the sense of ‘a ship’s cook’. It was adapted in World War I to refer to ‘a mess orderly’.

*Smack  (1) Wound. (2) An attempt.

(1) This sense attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

(2) General. From the late 19th century (Partridge).

These are both figurative uses of ‘smack’ meaning ‘a sounding blow delivered with the flat of the hand’, from 1746 (OED).

*Smudged  Killed by being blown to pieces by a shell.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

*Snag  (1) An obstacle. (2) A dangerous man.

(1) General. From 1830 (OED).

(2) General Australian. From 1905 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This is a figurative use of (1).

*Snaky  Angry (e.g. to turn snaky, irritable).

General Australian. From 1894 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

*Snare  Acquire; steal.

General. From the late 19th century (Partridge). Attested in numerous sources.

Partridge records this as Australian, as does Green. It is also included in Dennis’ 1916 glossary, suggesting that it had some currency in Australian English.

Snavel  To steal or misappropriate.

General Australian. From 1892 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This originated as a British dialect term but was chiefly Australian from the late 1890s.

Snifter, Snodger  Extraordinarily good or big.

‘Snifter’, general. From the late 19th century (Partridge). Attested in numerous sources.

‘Snodger’, general Australian. From 1917 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

‘Snifter’ is originally a British dialect term meaning ‘a strong wind’ (Arthur and Ramson in Digger Dialects). ‘Snodger’ possibly derives from the British dialect ‘snod’ meaning ‘sleek, neat, in good order’ (AND).

Snipe (Sopwith)

World War I Flying. Attested in Cutlack.

Cutlack records that the Sopwith ‘Snipe’ was produced in 1918, and was ‘primarily designed for fighting high’. It was used by the No.4 Australian Squadron from October, 1918.

Snob-shop  An army boot repairing shop.

General military. From the late 19th century (Green and Partridge).

This relates to the sense of ‘snob’ as a dialect term for ‘cobbler’ (NODE).

*Snotter  Kill. ‘Snottered’, killed.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Arthur and Ramson suggest a derivation from the Scots dialect meaning of ‘snot’, ‘a snub, admonitory rap’ (noun) and ‘to snub, reprove’ (verb).

Snouted  In disfavor or under disfavor.

General Australian. From 1913 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This might relate to the derivation of snotter. It was first recorded in New Zealand in 1905, and ‘snout’ was often found in the phrase, ‘to have a snout on or against’.

Snuff Out  To die.

General. From 1865 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

Sock the Boot in  Literally to kick viciously. In a general sense, harsh treatment.

‘Put the boot into’, general. Possibly Australian. From 1916 (Partridge).

While ‘sock it to’ in the sense of ‘to strike, deal a blow’ was current from 1877, the sense given here appears to be a variant of ‘put the boot into’, ‘to kick a prostrate foe’ (literally or figuratively).

Soft snap  An easy matter.

General. Originally US. From 1877 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

*Sore Finger  An overdressed person, (e.g. ‘dolled’ up like a sore finger).

General Australian. From 1918 (AND). Attested in Baker, Digger Dialects, and Partridge.

Souvenir  In the slang sense, to appropriate articles belonging to a person or place; a euphemism for steal.

General World War I Australian. From 1918 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This term, while originating in WWI, has subsequently become widespread in the sense of ‘to steal’ (Green).

*Spare-Colonel, Spare Part  See ‘Floating Kidney’.

‘Spare-Colonel’, World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

‘Spare Part’, general World War I. Attested in F&G and Partridge.

F&G records ‘spare part’ as being ‘a sarcastic term used for anyone incompetent, or not the kind of person wanted’.

*Spark Well  To be in good health.

This exact expression attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Arthur and Ramson in Digger Dialects suggest that this is a figurative use of ‘spark’, as in an internal combustion engine’.

Sparks  A wireless operator on board ship.

General. From 1914 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This term was used generally for ‘[o]ne who works with electrical equipment: a radio operator, an electrician, etc’ (OED).

Spin (in rough)  A bad time. From ‘two up’, in which the man who tossed the pennies in the spinner and has either a good or bad spin. It is applicable to the general experience of life.

General Australian. From 1917 (AND).

Split (1) Unusual. (2) An aeroplane on its side banking for a sharp turn.

(1) General. From 1917 (OED).

This was originally an Royal Flying Corps term, meaning ‘classy, showy’ and used of an airman.

(2) General. From 1917 (OED).

This derives from (1) and refers to a particular flying stunt.

Both of these are recorded in Digger Dialects and the OED as ‘split-ass’.

Spook  An army signaller, especially a wireless operator. How this term came to be applied in this sense is doubtful, although probably it was because the signaller at the instrument was able to receive messages apparently from space.

General World War I. Attested in Digger Dialects, F&G, and Partridge.

Partridge cites Leechman, suggesting a different etymology to the one suggested here: ‘Perhaps because signallers occasionally practise at nights with lamps’.

Spot  Drink.

General Australian. From 1919 (Digger Dialects). Attested in AND, Green, and Partridge.

AND records this term from 1922, making Digger Dialects the first evidence of the term. It usually applies to ‘a drink of alcoholic liquor’, and is a special use of ‘spot’, ‘a small quantity’.

*Spring-heel  A man who, on joining a fighting unit immediately finds a means of leaving it.

World War I. Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Arthur and Ramson in Digger Dialects note this may be related to ‘spring-heeled Jack’, ‘a term for  a highwayman, fast enough on the feet to avoid capture’. Partridge records this sense.

Square-head  A German.

General. From 1903 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This was very widely used in World War I, and derived originally, Partridge suggests, from the shape of the head and referred to foreigners of Germanic or Scandinavian extraction.

They all took him for a German, as they do every Turkish officer they see, of course. He was rather heavy limbed, and that decided it. ‘Oh he’s a bloody square-head – I’d shoot the beggar’ was the sort of remark one heard. Our men have a sort of kindliness for the Turk, but they’ve none whatever for the German.

May 22 1915 CEW Bean Diary.

Square Pushing see Tracking Square.

General military. From ca. 1885 (Partridge). Attested in numerous sources.

B&P record that ‘To go square-pushing’ meant either to go out to court a particular girl or to go out in the hope of meeting a friendly female. See also Track Square.

Squeal  Cry for mercy or assistance to others.

General. Originally US. From 1846 (DAE).

This is more commonly used, and is well attested, in the figurative sense of ‘informing’.

*Squid  A German prisoner.

World War I. Not otherwise recorded.

The derivation of this term is unknown.

*Squirt  A revolver, any firearm.

General Australian. From 1899 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

*S.R.D.  The brand on a rum jar (State Rum Distilleries); ‘seldom reaches destination’, ‘Soldiers rum diluted’, and various other meanings were ascribed to these letters.

World War I. Attested in B&P, Digger Dialects, and Partridge.

B&P record this as ‘Service Rum Diluted’ and notes ‘The dilution must have been infinitesimal. A popular but unauthorized amplification of the initials was – ‘Soon Run Dry.’ Partridge also recordes ‘soon run dry’ as an occasional military catchphrase.

Stall  A hoax; disappointment.

General. From 1851 (OED).

This is usually used in the sense of ‘something used as a pretext for thieving or imposition’ (OED) or ‘to make excuses, allege pretexts, play for time’ (Partridge). It is also attested in this sense in F&G and Green.

Stalling

General Flying. From 1910 (OED).

Cutlack writes of ‘stalling’: ‘A machine is said to be stalled when its air speed is so reduced in the course of climbing that it ceases to be under control. The nose of the machine then naturally drops, and in order to recover forward speed the machine must dive.’

Star Artist  ‘One star artist’,  a second lieutenant.

World War I. Not otherwise recorded.

‘Star’ was ‘a badge of rank, authority or military service’, from 1890 (OED). ‘Star artist’ is derived from this. A second lieutenant has only one star.

*Steady Lapper  An inveterate drunkard.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Partridge records the variation ‘rare lapper’.

Stellenbosch   To transfer an officer to a less important command. A division in the S. Cape [of] Good Hope province, to which officers who had failed in the Kaffir War were sent by way of being superseded without formal disgrace.

General military. From 1900 (OED). Attested in F&G and Partridge.

F&G write of ‘to be stellenbosched’: ‘To be superseded; sent back, presumably “under a cloud”, from the Front. An expression originating in the South African War, from the place in Cape Colony where there was a large standing camp to which officers who had failed at the Front were sent to do duty, as a convenient method of shelving them.’

Steve  A casual acquaintance.

General. 20th century (Partridge). Attested in Digger Dialects and Partridge.

Partridge records this as mostly Australian.

Steves  Hearts (playing cards).

Attested here but not otherwise recorded.

 

*Sting  Make a request for a loan or gift; also ‘put in the stings’.

General. From the late 19th century (Partridge). Attested in numerous sources.

Stink  ‘To kick up a stink’, to cause a commotion or discussion.

General. From 1812 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

*Stonker  Exterminate; kill; strike.

General World War I. Australian. From 1918 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This is possibly derived from the British dialect ‘stonk’ meaning ‘the stake in a game, especially of marbles’. ‘Stonkered’ meaning ‘put out of action’ is common.

Stoush  Fight; to strike; defeat.

General Australian. From 1893 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

The term derived from the British dialect ‘stashie’, ‘stushie’, meaning ‘an uproar, disturbance, quarrel’. It was adapted to apply to ‘a war’. In particular, World War I was known as ‘The Big Stoush’.

*Stoush Merchant  A fighter.

World War I Australian. From ca. 1918 (Partridge).

This was based on stoush. As Baker puts it, a ‘stoush merchant’ was ‘a dealer in stoush’.

Strafe  (1) To punish. (2) A heavy bombardment. (3) Abuse.

(1) General World War I. From 1915 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

(2) General World War I. From 1915 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

(3) General. From 1918 (OED).

(3) is a figurative use of (2). ‘Strafe’ was widely used in World War I. It came from the German phrase ‘Gott strafe England’, ‘God punish England’, used from 1914. Its usage is outlined by F&G: ‘Used in the War with an infinity of meanings. ... An attack, heavy bombardment, etc., was always a “strafe”. A unit in action which had suffered serious casualties was said to have been “strafed”. To hit a thing hard was to “strafe” it. To put a candle out or to kill a flea was to “strafe” it. To be reprimanded was to be “strafed”. Also an expression of good humoured contempt, or impatience – e.g. “Oh, Strafe it!” – i.e., “Stop! Shut up!”’

Strength, to get the  To understand thoroughly.

General Australian. From 1904 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This is a specific use of ‘strength’ meaning ‘the demonstrative force of an argument’.

String-on  Deceive.

General Australian. From 1886 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

Struth  An exclamation of surprise.

General. From 1892 (OED).

This was an abbreviation of ‘God’s truth’, commonly used as an oath.

*Stuff to give ’em  A popular catchword expressing superlative excellence. Supposed to have originated with Scottish troops.

World War I. From 1917 (Partridge).

This was possibly a variant of ‘that’s the stuff to give the troops’, also sometimes ‘that’s the stuff to give ’em’. See also Material to Administer.

*Stung  (1) Drunk. (2) Having been induced to lend.

(1) General Australian. From 1913 (AND). Attested in numerous sources.

This relates to ‘sting’ meaning ‘strong drink’ current in Australian English, and deriving from the British slang ‘stingo’ meaning ‘strong beer’.

(2) See Sting.

Stunned  Drunk.

General. Australian and New Zealand. From 1919 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

*Stunt  (1) A battle. (2) An eccentric action. (3) An idea. (4) Any form of activity.

(1) General World War I. From 1916 (OED). Attested in F&G and Partridge.

(2) General. From 1878 (OED).

This seems to be the standard sense of ‘stunt’ as ‘an event’, ‘a feat’.

(3) General. From 1920 (Partridge).

This was used in the sense of ‘a trick, a novel idea’.

(4) General. This is the basic sense, see (2).

B&P write of ‘stunt’ and its use in World War I: ‘Any performance of outstanding skill or effectiveness, e.g. an acrobatic performance or a clever ruse at football; a trick or means of benefiting oneself, e.g. “It’s a good stunt to fall out before the fatigue party’s picked.” In time the quality of cleverness became inessential : all that was needed was the unusual element, the break in routine, and ‘stunt’ was applied especially to a big attack or series of attacks, e.g. “The Somme stunt,” “The March 1918 stunt”; or to a smaller, localized raid, e.g. “a bombing stunt at night.” Also verb, especially of airmen.’

*Suck-in  Sharp practice;  a cunning scheme; deceit.

General. Originally US. From 1849 (DAE).

This was usually used in the sense of ‘a trick, a deception’.

*Sudden  Quick, thick and heavy. ‘You’re sudden, aren’t you’, a protesting question applied to a man who walks away with something belonging to someone else.

Attested here and in Digger Dialects but not otherwise recorded.

Arthur and Ramson in Digger Dialects write of the definition provided as ‘thick’ as in ‘a bit thick’, meaning ‘hard to put up with’, and ‘heavy’, ‘heavy-handed’.

Sugar  Money.

General. From 1862 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This has its origins in rhyming slang: ‘sugar and honey’ for ‘money’.

Suicide Club  (1) Light trench mortar batteries. So called because when first introduced the mortars were unreliable and frequently caused casualties among the battery personnel. (2) Also applied to bombers or other soldiers who were believed to be exposed to more than the barrage risks.

(1) This specific sense not otherwise recorded.

(2) General World War I. Attested in numerous sources.

F&G write that this was a term ‘applied usually, more or less in jest, to various “specialist” formations whose duties were, or seemed to be, of an exceptionally risky or dangerous nature, such as bombers, Machine-Gunners, Stretcher-Bearers.’

*Swank  (1) Vanity. (2) Elegance. (3) Blatherskite.

(1) General. From 1854 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

This is usually used in the sense of ‘showy, vulgar, arrogant’. The OED records that the etymology of this term is uncertain, but it may derive from the idea of swinging the body. It was first a dialect word which was taken up into general British slang.

(2) General. From 1913 (OED).

(3) See (1).

Sweat On  Eagerly awaiting.

General. From 1917 (OED). Attested in numerous sources.

B&P and F&G record the phrase ‘to sweat on the top line’ as current during World War I.

*Swing the lead  Scheme; malinger. See ‘Lead swinger’.

General. Originally military. From 1917 (OED).  Attested in numerous sources.

B&P write the following: ‘Malingering: or otherwise evading duty. A great source of pride with some soldiers – and in some circumstances – with all soldiers. A lead-swinger who let other men do work he was able to do, or who practised his craft when danger was threatened, was beloved of no one. But the man who swung it skilfully on experts, such as doctors, in England or behind the line, received genuine admiration and kept up no pretence before his comrades.’