Battle of Britain pilots developed their own slang/terminology that would have been incomprehensible to others even in the military. However, this slang became part of the lifestyle of members of Fighter Command and was used in everyday conversation as well as in written correspondence. Some of this slang has become reasonably common in general use today (such as ‘binders’) but during the months of the Battle of Britain when the ‘King’s English’ was more dominant it was language commonly associated with the men from Fighter Command.
Binders – People who are always grumbling and moaning.
Bin – Killed as in ‘He’s been bin’
Blood Wagon – Ambulance
Booze-wine – drink, usually beer
Brolly – Parachute
Brown Job – Soldier/Army Officer
Beat-up – To dive at an object with the purpose of frightening them
Bogle – A woman
Cotton Wool – Clouds
Deck – The ground or an aerodrome
Double Top – A good shot (from double 20 in darts)
Erks – Airman’s rank if below a corporal
Forced Lob – Forced landing
Grappling Hooks – Making a big effort
Grease Monkey – Mechanic
Head in the Office – Office refers to the cockpit
Jim Crow – an aircraft on a reconnaissance mission
Nabble – To catch up
Peelow – Pilot
Putting on the horses – giving more throttle to gain more speed
Poking Charlie – Making fun of someone
Ring Twitch – To anticipate danger; a feeling of fear and excitement
Squirt – To shoot at
Stooge – Someone who does all the dirty work
Stooge Patrol – A patrol on which you do not expect to see the enemy
Stooging Along – Going on patrol without taking much notice of anything
Tits – The trigger or firing button on the joystick
Vic – Aircraft flying in a V formation
Walking Out – To bale out of your aircraft
July 2010
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