Elting’s “A Dictionary of Soldier Talk” presents the definition “bobtail discharge-bobtail (Old, Old Army). A discharge from service under less than honorable conditions. Not a dishonorable discharge, but the following. The term comes from the practice of cutting out the final section of the discharge form, which covered the character of the discharged.In World War II it was called a “discharge without honor”. Website design By BotEap.comIn his article “Slang of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, 1917-1919 (American Speech, 1972) Jonathan Lighter identifies: Website design By BotEap.com–bobtail as dishonorable discharge, an expression that dates back to the US Army of the late 19th century. Website design By BotEap.comPaul Dickson’s “War Slang” has “bobtail hotel, an army disciplinary headquarters.” Website design By BotEap.com“Soldier to the fist” was to be an exemplary soldier. To the “handle” of what? Website design By BotEap.com“Fogie” – a service strip. Lighter does not mention this term.
Elting also has “fogy, fogey, fogie (All Services). A word whose origin and history would probably be very interesting, if known precisely. The oldest form, which is civil and from the mid-18th century, is “fogram , “meaning a retired person, an old fuddyduddy. 1. (Late 18th-early 19th century, British and American). An elderly or invalid soldier; therefore, a garrison soldier. 2. (19th century, with some survivals; US) Longevity pay, increased pay for length of service “I’m getting another fogy next month, but my wife is already spending it.” Also called fogy pay, fogy pa. Both fogy and fogy pay (with variants) are now becoming obsolete. Website design By BotEap.comDickson’s “War Slang” offers a similar definition, much shorter, with no reference to date or background. Lighter says that Fogy or fogy was a longevity bonus paid to officers and NCOs dating back to the Civil War; of “old old”. Website design By BotEap.comIn the late 1960s, a “fogie” was an incremental step in salary due to longevity. It might be the consequence of the service strip, as the service strips were awarded for longevity. Website design By BotEap.comOne correspondence forwarded the fact that her father was in the US Army from 1910 to 1940 and that during that time period, Army slang for a “loose woman” was “cookie shooter.” Nothing is known of the origin of this expression. Website design By BotEap.comAre all these expressions of the Spanish American war army and did any of them survive until the First World War? Although the author Kyne uses these expressions in the context of Spanish-American war veterans serving in the US Army during World War I, I have never seen these terms used in any other American WWI writing. World. Website design By BotEap.comBIBLIOGRAPHY Website design By BotEap.comDickson, Paul. War slang. New York: Paperbacks, 1994 Website design By BotEap.comElting, Dictionary of soldiers’ conversation. Website design By BotEap.comKyne, Peter B. SOLDIERS, SAILORS, and DOGS. New York: H. C. Kinsey & Co., 1936. Website design By BotEap.comLighter, Jonathan. “Slang of the American Expeditionary Forces in Europe, 1917-1919. American speech, 1972.