Pogue

Last updated

Pogue is American pejorative military slang for non-infantry MOS (military occupational specialty) staff, and other rear-echelon or support units. [1]

Contents

History and etymology

The term was used as early as the First World War by US Marines to refer to a male homosexual. [2] At the beginning of World War II, "pogue" was used by Marine drill instructors to refer to trainees believed not to meet the expected standards or failing to display the appropriate esprit de corps. [3]

Linda Reinberg includes it as being in general use in Vietnam to refer to rear echelon support personnel. [4] This meaning, as well as the "substandard performance" connotation, continued into the beginning of the Global War on Terror. [5]

During Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, "pog" referred to anyone who arrived in theater after the speaker. [6]

"Pogey bait" is a reference to sweets or candy, which was in usage in the military as early as 1918. The term alludes to food (and other luxuries) rarely afforded to grunts in the field. To an infantry soldier, the term "pogey bait", when used in the possessive sense (i.e. "my pogey bait", "his pogey bait", etc.), refers to a personally acquired (not issued) stash of snacks and food. Common items found in a bag of "pogey bait" include ramen noodles, hard candies (e.g., Werther's Originals, Jolly Ranchers, Dum Dums, etc.), beef jerky, Easy Cheese, and Vienna sausages (among other things). "Pogey bait" was/is used "in the field" not only as snacks and meal supplements, but also for bartering (commonly either for other food or for tobacco products). [7] "Pogey-bait run" was used as early as the 1960s to refer to any unauthorized violation of restrictions with the purpose of meeting a wife or girlfriend. [8]

Origin

One accounting of the word's etymology involves "póg," the Irish language word for "kiss." In this telling it is believed that "pogue" was popularized within the American military by Irish-American soldiers during the American Civil War. The oft-used acronym "POG," standing for "Person Other than Grunt," may have originated as a backronym for "pogue." [9]

Gay culture

Among early 20th century gay men, "pogie" was a term for man who enjoys receptive anal sex. [10]

The terms REMF (Standing for "Rear Echelon Mother Fucker") [11] and "Fobbit" (from forward operating base (FOB) and The Hobbit ) [12] are closely related terms, in that they are frequently intended as insults (although "fobbit" seems to be taken as less a term of direct abuse and more a descriptive one). Among other services, other terms include "nonner" and "shoe clerk".[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

A slang is a vocabulary of an informal register, common in verbal conversation but avoided in formal writing. It also sometimes refers to the language generally exclusive to the members of particular in-groups in order to establish group identity, exclude outsiders, or both. The word itself came about in the 18th century and has been defined in multiple ways since its conception.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SNAFU</span> Military acronym slang

SNAFU is an acronym that is widely used to stand for the sarcastic expression Situation normal: all fucked up. It is a well-known example of military acronym slang. It is sometimes bowdlerized to "all fouled up" or similar. It means that the situation is bad, but that this is a normal state of affairs. The acronym is believed to have originated in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.

Newbie, newb, noob, noobie, n00b or nub is a slang term for a novice or newcomer, or somebody inexperienced in a profession or activity. Contemporary use can particularly refer to a beginner or new user of computers, often concerning Internet activity, such as online gaming or Linux use.

This is a list of British words not widely used in the United States. In Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, India, South Africa, and Australia, some of the British terms listed are used, although another usage is often preferred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boondocks</span> Remote or unsophisticated area

The boondocks is an American expression from the Tagalog (Filipino) word bundók ("mountain"). It originally referred to a remote rural area, but now, is often applied to an out-of-the-way area considered backward and unsophisticated by city-folk. It can also occasionally refer to a mountain in both Filipino and American context.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lollipop</span> Type of candy, usually hard and mounted on a stick

A lollipop is a type of sugar candy usually consisting of hard candy mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. Different informal terms are used in different places, including lolly, sucker, sticky-pop, etc. Lollipops are available in many flavors and shapes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Front (military)</span> Military term with several meanings

In a military context, the term front can have several meanings. According to official US Department of Defense and NATO definitions, a front can be "the line of contact of two opposing forces." This front line can be a local or tactical front, or it can range to a theater. An example of the latter was the Western Front in France and Belgium in World War I.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racial integration</span> Process of ending racial segregation

Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation, leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely bringing a racial minority into the majority culture. Desegregation is largely a legal matter, integration largely a social one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G.I.</span> Soldier of the United States Armed Forces

G.I. is an informal term that refers to "a soldier in the United States armed forces, especially the army" It is mostly deeply associated with World War II, but continues to see use.

POG or Pog may refer to:

Grunt, grunts or grunting may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice pop</span> Liquid-based frozen confection on a stick

An ice pop is a liquid/cream-based frozen dessert on a stick. Unlike ice cream or sorbet, which are whipped while freezing to prevent ice crystal formation, an ice pop is frozen while at rest, becoming a solid block of ice. The stick is used as a handle to hold it. Without a stick, the frozen product would be a freezie.

Dag is an Australian and New Zealand slang term, also daggy (adjective). In Australia, it is often used as an affectionate insult for someone who is, or is perceived to be, unfashionable, lacking self-consciousness about their appearance and/or with poor social skills yet affable and amusing. It is also used to describe an amusing, quirky and likeable person and is non-pejorative. The term was more widely used in the 1970s due to the popular New Zealand comedy of Fred Dagg. The term may be simply affectionate, such as when it was used to describe the recipes in the enduringly popular The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twink (gay slang)</span> Gay slang for an attractive youthful male

"Twink" is gay slang for a gay man who is usually in his late teens to twenties whose traits may include a slim to average physique, a youthful appearance that may belie an older age, having little or no body hair, flamboyancy, and general physical attractiveness. Twink is used both as a neutral descriptor, which can be compared with bear, and as a pejorative. The term is often modified by various descriptors and is commonly used in the gay pornography industry.

Digger slang, also known as ANZAC slang or Australian military slang, is Australian English slang as employed by the various Australian armed forces throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. There have been four major sources of the slang: the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The name Digger slang derives from the cultural stereotype of the Digger in the First World War. Graham Seal AM, Professor of Folklore at Curtin University of Technology, calls the slang Diggerese. It is a combination of an occupational jargon and an in-group argot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hitlerszalonna</span> World War II provision eaten by Hungarians

Hitlerszalonna, known in the modern day as sütésálló lekvár, is a dense fruit jam that originated in the Kingdom of Hungary during World War II. It was sold in brick shaped blocks held in a piece of paper, and was sliced like szalonna. Soldiers kept it in a case and it could be cooked with other foods. In the modern day, sütésálló lekvár is often sold in small portion cups. The term itself is considered slang and defined as something like "tough fruit".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheese and crackers</span> Dish, often served with wine, fruit, or meat

Cheese and crackers, also known as cheese and biscuits in the UK, is a dish consisting of crackers paired with cheese. Historically the fare of sailors, soldiers, and pioneers, it had become a regular menu item in American restaurants and bars by the 1850s. Many types of cheeses are used, and it is often paired with wine. It may also be served with fruit preparations or preserves, or preserved meats, such as pepperoni or salami. Mass-produced cheese and crackers include Handi-Snacks, Ritz, Jatz and Lunchables.

References

  1. ↑ "POGdefinition - Dictionary - MSN Encarta". Encarta.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2009-11-21.
  2. ↑ Elting, John R.; Cragg, Dan; Deal, Ernest L. (1984). A dictionary of soldier talk . New York. ISBN   0684178621.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ↑ FUBAR: Soldier Slang of World War II, Gordon L Rottman.
  4. ↑ In the Field: The Language of the Vietnam War, Linda Reinberg
  5. ↑ https://www.coffeeordie.com/pog-or-pogue , Mac Caltrider
  6. ↑ Dickson, Paul (19 May 2011). War Slang: American Fighting Words & Phrases Since the Civil War (3rd ed.). Dover Publications. ISBN   9780486477503 . Retrieved 12 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Wilton, Dave (2011-07-01). "1918 Words". Wordorigins.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  8. ↑ A Dictionary of Soldier Talk, Colonel John R Elting
  9. ↑ https://www.military.com/off-duty/2020/02/05/fascinating-beginning-term-pog.html
  10. ↑ Loughery, John (1998). The Other Side of Silence: Men's Lives and Gay Identities, A Twentieth-Century History . New York: Henry Holt and Company. p. 6. ISBN   978-0805038965.
  11. ↑ "REMF - Wiktionary". 6 April 2023.
  12. ↑ "Freaking out the FOBBITs of Afghanistan", Foreign Policy, 2009
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.