Click HERE to see a listing of some common Pussers nicknames.
This list is of SOME common slang terms used in Pussers (RAN). Some of these terms are also used by other navies (RN, NZN etc).
|
The Andrew |
Royal Navy - a term rarely used in the RAN |
| Arpie (RP) | Pussers radar plotter |
|
Bang-box |
The gun turret (on big ships) |
|
Bang |
To have sex, (usually with a woman who is too drunk to confirm
it) |
| Bangers & mash | Sausages & mashed potato |
|
Banyan |
A sometimes impromptu beach party with a Barbie and a perhaps a
can or two |
| Beagle, Butler | Steward, Captains steward |
|
Belay |
To cease doing something |
| Birdie | Fleet Air Arm sailor(s) |
|
Bite |
To fool somebody into doing or believing something stupid |
| Blue Orchid | Air force (RAAF) person - male or female |
|
Bonedome |
Head |
| Bones | Generally the Sick Bay Tiffy - sometimes the Doctor |
| Bones | Mah-jongg tiles |
| BR | A book of Reference or ANY book |
| Brew | A cup of tea or coffee |
| Buggie | Dirty or unclean person or area - eg "Scran Bag" or "Buggie area" |
| Bumnuts | Boiled eggs or just eggs |
| Burgoo | Porridge (rolled oats) |
|
Bunting tosser |
Signaller, any rank |
|
Buzz |
A rumour, sometimes true though usually not |
|
CDF |
|
|
Chippy |
The ships carpenter |
|
Chop-chop |
Move yer arse, go
quickly |
|
Civvies |
Civilian |
|
Club swinger |
PTI (Physical training instructor) |
|
Cockie |
Cockroach |
|
Corned dog |
Corned beef |
|
Crash |
Go to sleep |
| Crusher | Naval patrolman |
| Derps | Underwear - see also U-derps |
|
Dhoby |
To have a wash/shower or to wash your clothes |
|
Dhoby dust |
Washing powder |
| Dib dab | A seaman branch sailor - see also dibbie |
| Dibbie | Dib-dab - a seaman branch sailor |
|
Dig out |
To make an all out effort |
|
Dip out |
To miss out on something: To dip out |
| Dit | A book or a good story to read |
|
Dockyard job |
A big job or a major operation |
|
Dog watch |
Two 2 hour watches to equalise the roster, also a derogatory
term for a short length of service |
|
Doofer |
A bit that goes on something, eg
'Pass the doofer' while pointing at the object,
nut, washer, etc |
|
Duff |
Refers to sticky pudding or any sweet |
| Duffed | Pregnant |
| Fang | Tooth or to eat - see also "Yaffle" |
| Fang Bosun | Dentist |
|
Fang farrier |
Dentist |
| Fart sack | Bed, bunk or hammock |
|
|
Knife, fork and spoon |
|
Flag waver |
Signaller, any rank |
|
Flakers |
Tired out |
|
Flat |
Open space between mess decks on board ship, ie canteen flat |
| Float test | The final test for equipment which is unserviceable |
|
Flunky |
Officers steward
(probably the most hated job) |
| Food f--ker | Navy cook see also Tucker f--ker |
|
Foo Foo |
Pussers foot powder or Baby powder |
|
Four by Four |
Pussers toilet paper |
|
Fruit salad |
Multiple medal ribbons worn together |
|
Gash |
Rubbish |
|
Gash hand |
One who is left over after the working party has been detailed
off |
|
Gen |
The truth (genuine) |
| Gettas | Thongs - usually illegal to wear onboard ship |
| Gippers | Electrical current (ouch) or sauce or gravy |
| Goddam | An American or Yank |
|
Goffers |
Cold fizzy drinks, A big wave |
| Gong | Term for medals or decorations |
| Goofers | Spectators looking at something |
|
Green |
Naive, gullible, not very knowledgeable |
|
Green rub |
Rotten job/duty etc |
| Greenie | Pussers electrical branch member |
| Greenie | A large wave breaking over the ship |
|
Grey funnel line |
Ships of the Royal Australian Navy |
|
Grip |
A smallish bag with two carrying handles |
| Hammock stower | Large overweight female |
| Harpie | Girlfriend, a bit on the side, the Missus - multiple meanings |
| Have a wet | To have a drink |
|
Heads |
Toilets, from the old sailing ships where the toilets were
directly beneath the figure head |
|
|
Kippers |
| Hong Kong BR | A small Porno book purchased in Honkers |
|
Honkers |
|
|
Hooker |
Leading Sailor (Kellick) |
| Housewife | Personal sewing kit |
|
JarHead |
|
| Jaw Bosun / Jawman | See Nutman |
|
Jimmy |
First Lieutenant, XO or Number 1 |
| Jimmy Rick | "One-character" tile in Mah Jong |
| Jockstrap | Sporty type / person |
| Jong | Term for the Chinese game of Mah Jong |
| Jonty or Jaunty | Master at Arms |
| Kip | Short sleep or nap |
|
Kit muster |
A personal kit inspection, also describes being sick |
| Lid | Junior or Senior Sailor's cap |
| Load | Sexually Transmitted Disease |
|
Loafing |
Hanging around aimlessly, Dawdling along |
| Maccas (then) | Lollies |
| Maccas (today) | MacChuckburgers |
| Macca Muncher | Somebody who likes lollies or sweets |
|
Make and mend |
Early finish afternoons - usually for some special occasion Also called a "makers" |
| Make & mend sticks | Golf clubs |
| Mickey Mouse | Refers to any Kellick or PO without a good conduct badge (under 4 years) |
| MOBI | Naval Apprentice ( Most Objectionable Bastards Imaginable ) |
| Monkey Spunk | Vegemite |
| MUPPET | Naval Apprentice ( Most Useless Pricks Pussers Ever Trained ) |
| Mystery Bag | Meat pie or a sausage |
| Noisy Blue | Blue-handled ratchet screwdriver |
| Nosh | To eat, food, mainly a term used by the RN |
|
Nutman |
A "horses hoof" so to speak |
|
|
Cornish pastie |
|
Oggin |
The sea or any stretch of water |
|
Oppo |
Friend, Buddy |
|
Outside |
Life after leaving the Navy |
|
Party |
Girlfriend |
|
Pavement pizza |
Vomit |
| Pen-pusher | Writer |
|
Pig |
Naval Officer |
|
Piglets |
Midshipmen |
|
Pig sty |
Officers Mess |
| Pill pusher | The ships' Doctor |
|
Pinged |
To be spotted from a great distance, to be picked for a
particularly dirty job |
|
Pipe |
Used on ships in place of the bugle, also the tannoy system on board ship |
| Piss paddling | Barefoot - i.e. no thongs or sandals |
| Piss strainers | Sautéed kidney (with bacon for breakfast) |
|
Pit |
Bed, bunk |
| Plastic eggs | Pussers fried eggs (usually overdone) |
|
Pongo |
Anyone from the Army, Where the army goes the "pong" goes |
| Pope John steak | Battered fish (every Friday for lunch) |
|
Pork Sword |
Part of male anatomy, also known as Beef Bayonet, Luncheon Truncheon and Pink Oboe |
|
Pusser |
The Royal Australian Navy |
|
Pusser |
Pussers soap |
|
Rabbits |
Presents or souvenirs,
unofficial jobs carried out by Vehicle Mechanics on civvie cars |
|
Rack |
|
|
Rawbone |
Recruit |
|
Redders |
Tomato sauce |
| Red dick | The Greenies favourite red-handled 10" screwdriver |
| Red dicks | Frankfurters |
| RN Dhoby | Using foo-foo instead of having a shower |
| RN Sauce / RNers | Worcestershire sauce |
| RN Steak | Liver or lambs fry |
| Rockers | The Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel (Rock 'n Roll Hotel) - now quite upmarket |
|
Roughers |
Stormy weather |
|
Run Ashore |
To go out for a few 'quiet' drinks, a night out |
| Sack | Fart sack, bunk, bed or hammock |
|
Sad on |
To be unhappy or pissed off |
|
Scrambled Egg |
Gold braid on caps of CMDR and above |
|
Scran |
Food |
|
Scran bag |
A scruffy individual who looks like his clothes have never been
ironed |
|
Scran bag |
Also a collection point for loose bits of kit on a ship - a
small fine is paid before retrieval |
| Scads | Lots or a long time - see also Yonks |
| Screws | Ships propellors |
| Scribe | Writer |
| Scrub 'round it | To veto something or to forget it |
|
Sea daddy |
An experienced Sailor who looks after a younger recruit to show
him the ropes |
|
Secure |
To finish for the day or after a watch |
|
Shiny arse |
A clerk |
|
Shirt lifter |
A person on "the other side" - see nutman |
|
Shiters |
Drunk |
|
Sin bosun |
Padre |
| Singers | Singapore |
|
Sippers |
A sip of a drink |
| Skimmer | Surface Sailor (Submariners terminology) |
| Slops | Naval clothing stores or clothing purchased from stores |
| Snags | Sausages |
|
Snotty |
Midshipman |
|
|
Your regular (serious) girlfriend |
|
Standeasy |
A break taken during the morning and the afternoon |
|
Starvo |
Naval victualler |
| Steamie / Stoker | Pussers engineering branch person |
| Storm stick | Umbrella |
| Suckhole | To crawl to another |
|
|
Army |
|
Technicolor yawn |
Vomit |
|
Three badger |
A Sailor with 3 good conduct stripes, (12 years undetected
crime) |
| Tiddly gear | Non standard clothes usually purchased at Sinbad's, Red Anchor or Glendennings |
|
|
Cornish pastie |
| Tiffy | Artificer |
|
Train smash |
Tinned tomato with bacon, onion & cheese |
| Tucker f--ker | Navy cook |
|
Uckers |
A game loosely based on ludo,
probably caused more fights than
almost anything else |
| U-derps or Derps | Underwear |
| Up the duff | Pregnant |
| Wanchai burberry | Colourful Asian cane umbrella |
|
Ward room |
Officers mess on board ship as well as in a shore establishment |
|
Worms in redlead |
Spaghetti in tomato
sauce |
|
Wooly pully |
The thick issue jumper |
|
Yaffle |
To eat |
|
Yaffling irons |
Knife, fork and spoon |
|
Yellow peril |
Smoked Haddock |
| Yippee beans | Baked beans - also known in some circles as blurters (beanz meanz fartz) |
|
Yomp |
To force march with a heavy load |
|
Yonks |
A long time |
|
Zap |
To shoot something, or an electric shock |
|
Zeds |
To get some sleep |
|
Zulu |
Greenwich meantime |
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