A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

Z

ABC - All Been Changed

ABCBA - All Been Changed Back Again

ATS - Anti Trapping Squad ie. a mate can see you off by thinning a girl out, you were trying to trap

bag off - to have sex, (usually with a woman who is too drunk to confirm it)

bag rat - packed lunch invariably containing salt & vinegar crisps and a rotten cornish pasty.

banjo - A fried egg sandwich.

battle bowl - combat helmet

beasting/beast - give someone a hard time, serious physical training

basha - improvised low mounted shelter in the field, mainly used by 'pongo's'

bezzy - best as in "bezzy oppo"

bimble - to walk at a casual pace

bite - to fool somebody into doing or believing something stupid

bit of kit - someone who is honking in everything he does

bivvy - tactical camping positions - from bivouac

black maskers - thick black masking tape that is the all in one answer to service DIY

Blues - Royal Marines Number 1 (Dress Blue)uniform

bone - a stupid thing to do or a stupid person

bone dome - helmet

boogie - (pronounced boo-jee) - similar to dhobie but applied to equipment ie a nod might be pinged to give the heads a quick boogie as a (very mild) punishment.

bootie/bootneck - Royal Marine

bottom field - the assault course at CTC where the recruits spend most of their time being beasted

bowser - large container of water, also reference to a gronk ie. spunk bowser

buzz - a rumour, sometimes true though usually not

cabin - one's room or accommodation

casevac - short for casualty evacuation; US forces use medevac

chad - something that is considered 'cheesy' or low quality

chad valley - a piece of equipment the is prone to failure (most pusser's kit)

cherry berry - A member of the Parachute Regiment, from their red berets.

chit - request form

chuck up - to receive praise

civvy - civilian

cloggie - a Dutchman

club swinger - a Physical Training Instructor

cluster fuck - very badly organised

colours/colour stripey - colour sergeant Cream in Collide.

commondog - commonsense

corps pissed - to be totally intoxicated by the Royal Marines

crab - member of the RAF - from crabfat, the nickname for a blue-grey grease used by sailors, since RAF uniforms are that colour. The RAF as a whole are known as crab air

crabby - dirty

cream in - collide

CTCRM/CTC - the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines at Lympstone in Devon where all ranks of the Royal Marines undergo their basic training. Usually abbreviated to CTC.

devil Dodger - chaplain or padre

dhobi/dhoby - to wash or washing - from Hindi

dhobi dust - washing powder

dhobi run - a trip to the launderette

dhobi waller - person who gets pinged to do the dhobi

dig out/dig out blind - To make an all out effort

dip - come up short or suffer a misfortune

dip out - to lose out on something

dit - story

Dog and Basket - The Lion and Crown insignia.

drip - complain.

DL - Drill Leader - a marine who has specialised as a drill instructor

DS - Directing Staff

Dutchy's - a vendor of burgers at CTCRM. Arguably the greatest burger van on the planet.

essence - vision of beauty (mostly about females)

endex - the order given to end an exercise or end it early, also used to halt a conversation, lesson or activity

eyebrows - offering something as genuine and offering your eyebrows to be shaved off if you are found to be lying

flash - to lose one's temper

flapping - panicking

foofoo powder - pussers footpowder

fart sack - sleeping bag

galley -The Junior Ranks Dinning Hall

gash - sub-standard or rubbish; also rubbish as a noun (the 'gash bag' is the rubbish bag)

gash hand - a marine with no particular job or SQ ie "get a couple of gash hands and clean the heads"

geeps/jeeps - RM term for the L7 General Purpose Machine Gun (the famous Belgian 7.62 belt fed FN-MAG).

gen - the truth (genuine)

gen dit - genuine story

gimp/gimpy - See Geeps/Jeeps above.

girl's time - A Cadet Officer's or Apprentice Marine's (16-18 yrs old) service, since they are forbidden to go on Active Service.

Globe & Buster - 1) The Corps Crest. 2)The journal of the Royal Marines The Globe and Laurel

go outside - to leave the Corps

gobshite - someone who is vocal and often speaks out of turn with little knowledge on the given subject

gob off - see gobshite

goffers - 1) Cold fizzy drinks 2) A big wave 3) Big punches

gongs - medals

gopping - Something that is really horrible "That kebab was gopping, it made me ill"

grav (gravel belly) - derogatory name for a marine from a rifle company

green lid - green beret

Grey Funnel Line - the Royal Navy

grip - a kit bag with two carrying handles

gronk - a female who likes to get round bootnecks

grot - accommodations

grot bag - Sleeping bag.

gucci - A piece of kit that is really good and new

Guz - Plymouth, from the WW1 radio ID letters for the port GUZ

gulpers - A quantity of drink somewhere between 'Sippers' and 'Sandy Bottoms'

hanging out - mental or physical tiredness, exhausted

harry von... - used before certain words to increase their magnitude e.g. "harry von icers", "harry von roughers"

heads - naval term for latrines

heartbreak lane - the lane leading back into CTC that forms the final part of the endurance course and 9 mile speed march Commando Tests.

Hertz Van Rental - Mythical Dutch Officer.

honking - very dirty or smelly

hoofing - good ie "hoofing scran"

horse box - the stripeys' (q.v) mess.

icers -cold weather ie "it was icers on sentry last night"

inserted - to get into bed

jack - a member of the Royal Navy

jack up - to arrange or organise something

joker - see twat

jolly - a free outing

jollies - the junior ranks bar at CTCRM

junglies - RN helicopter pilots who fly Marines to their insertion point

KFS - Knife/Fork/Spoon

kit muster - a personal kit inspection

lash up - to treat someone, also describes a cock-up

landy - landrover

limers - lime or lemonade drink

loafing - hanging around aimlessly, to leave something out that should be put away

Lovats - Royal Marines Number 2 (Dress Green)uniform.

make and mend - early finish on Wednesday or Friday afternoons

matelot - a sailor

minging - Very drunk

mince/mincing - to achieve nothing whilst looking relatively busy - 'to mince'

mucker - very good mate - better than Oppo

N.A.A.F.I - services shop

neaters - undiluted pusser's rum, aka Navy Neaters

nelson's blood - rum

neptune's bodyguard - ships marines

ninja - Something that is very difficult or hard, A Ninja PT session

nod - an RM recruit before passing Commando course, in this phase they wear a blue beret, or the more tactical 'cap comforter' once they enter the commando stage of training, and the expression is thought to derive from the bend forward or nod that recruits tend to do rather than keeping their back vertical in drill manoeuvres during early training. Also reputed to stem from their tendency to execute the 'nodding dog' head manoeuvre during their training lectures, and any other period of training when they are not being 'beasted'. In the '50's, the term "Noddy " was used in the RN to denote someone who was slightly off-key and naive. The term then was derived from the children's story - and afternoon TV show - "Noddy in Toyland". One could be accused of wearing noddy clothes or a noddy hat. A blue beret might be a noddy hat.

Nutty - Chocolate (or more generally, any confection) devoured avidly by Marines requiring an energy fix.

oppo - best mate

oggin - the sea (he fell into the oggin), also water in general (get some oggin down your neck)

pass out - graduate Royal Marine Commando training, receive your lid

phot - a photograph or photographer

PIG - officer, acronym for ‘Polite Intelligent Gentleman’, used with heavy irony

ping/ pinged - found out, or 'volunteered' - e.g. 'pinged for a duchy run', 'pinged for sigs'

pit - bed, bed space or bunk

pipe - to broadcast a message; usually via the public address system on board ship or in barracks

percy pongo, perce - member of the British Army (from their supposed smell). For an alternative description, see the article pongo.

plums - Someone who hasn't bagged off in a while ie. blackwell is major plums

pompey - Portsmouth.

pongo - See Percy Pongo above.

proffed - goods acquired by dubious methods from the establishment rather than another marine

pusser - 1)The Royal Navy/Royal Marines. 2) Official issue. 3) Instructor 4) Royal Navy Logistics Officer.

pusser's charger - service issue bike

pusser's gold - rust

pusser's planks - service issue skiis

pusser's ice cream - lard

pusser's apple - onion

PTI - Physical Training Instructor

PW - Platoon Weapon or Platoon Weapons Instructor

Q.R.s - Queen's Regulations

queens - Used to convince someone that you are not getting them on a bite

racing snake - someone who runs fast

recce - generally used throughout British forces for reconnaissance, US forces use 'recon'

redders - hot weather (the opposite of icers)

red pigs - hot weather

rock ape - a member of the RAF Regiment

rover - landrover

run ashore - short leave with clear naval connection, ideally to involve large amounts of drinking, fighting and 'getting to know the local female population'

rupert - officer

sadders/sad on - upset or annoyed

sance - short for essence.i.e-she is sance mate.(originated from the ranks of air defence troop royal marines).

scran - food or a meal

scran bag - collection point for loose bits of kit on a ship. A small fine is paid before retrieval

Sea Daddy - an experienced Royal Marine who looks after the sprogs (q.v)

shiny arse - someone in an administrative position

Ship- Shipmate. A mate. pal, close friend.

Shiters- Very drunk.

sick bay - medical Centre

sick bay ranger - Someone who spends a lot of time off sick

sippers - a sip of a drink

SITREP - Situation Report

skeg - a quick look

slug - sleeping bag

snurgle - to sneak or creep in or out of sight

standeasy - a tea break taken during the morning and the afternoon

spin a dit - to tell a story

sprog - new/inexperienced marine

SQ - Specialist Qualification. Royal Marines can specialize after basic training in a large number of skills earning him extra reposibilities and pay. Each qualification is usually denoted by an acronym and their level of qualification. As an example, three levels of the Assault Engineers SQ are AE3, AE2, AE1 from lowest to highest

stacked - a muscular individual

stripey - sergeant

swamp - to urinate - go for a swamp, swamp the bed etc.

sweating neaters - to be worried (see neaters).

tankie - member of the heavy weapons branch

thin out - disappear, disperse or go away quickly

thrashed/thrashing - same as beasting

threaders - fed up, likely to be 'dripping'

trap - to engage or chat up females, e.g.'let's thin out now for a run ashore, have a few wets and then go out on the trap'

TQ - technical qualification

twat - a twat likes to be the centre of attention and will do things to amuse others (esp when the ladies are around), see joker.

twat camp - a trip or vacation with more than one twat, each vying for Twat No.1 position

troop bible - a book containing all the relevant details of the individuals in a sub unit

turn - to - to parade or begin work

twos - up - to take a turn at / with something

ulu - jungle (from Malay "hulu" - literally upriver, used to refer to backwater areas

up the line - to travel away from base, originally referring to a train journey

vittled - to be shot at, or to shoot at. 'we vittled them up'

waz - slightly better than "hoofing"

wet/whet - a warm beverage such as a cup of tea or coffee or an alcoholic drink

wrap - to give up

wrap hand - somebody who gives up easily

wooly pully - green issue jumper

yeti - a spectacular crash while skiing

yomp - move with heavy packs and weapons across country, the Army equivalent is 'tab' (note. 'tabbing' is a much slower, carrying less loads version of 'yomping')

yaffel - to eat

yaffeling spanners - KFS - knife fork spoon

zap - to shoot or be shot

zeds/(ZZZZZZZZ's) - to get some sleep ie. 'lets get heads to zeds'