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About This Quiz
How well do you think you know World War II slang? Take this quiz and find out.
Today's generation "speaks" with emojis and acronyms. This behavior isn't new. From the beginning of time, older generations have been lamenting that they just don't understand "young people today." It may be hard to believe as we look at our grandparents and great-grandparents, but the generation that came of age during World War II had their own unique way of communicating as well.ÂÂ
From words like palooka, wilco, clams, gams, and jake, to entire phrases such as "blow it out your barracks bag" and "cooking with gas," the World War II generation was just as adept at developing colorful lingo as any other generation before or since.
So, if you knew that palooka means loser, wilco means okey dokey, clams refers to money, gams refers to legs, and jake a-ok, then you are likely to do well on this quiz. But if you knew that "blow it out your barracks bag" means "get lost," and "cooking with gas" means being "on to something," you just might answer all of the questions on this quiz correctly.
Think you've got what it takes to hang with the Greatest Generation? Start this quiz and let's roll.
A letter from one's sweetheart was called a what?
Bull's eye
Sugar report
A girlfriend or wife was considered a sweetheart. Since they were sweet and sugar is sweet and they reported what was happening at home, a letter from a sweetheart was called a sugar report.
Shot in the dark
Fate
Becoming acclimated to the way a ship moved meant a sailor was getting his what?
Water arms
Sea legs
Without a seaman having his sea legs, he could slip and slide on the ship and get seasick.
Ocean body
Land lines
What is a SNAFU?
Situation under control
Summer not happening
Sunshine is not an option
Situation. Normal. All _ucked Up.
It was a popular acronym during WW II and it is still used today. The word _uck was a common word used by military men as an everyday word.
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"Kilroy Was Here" was a type of what?
Graffiti
The words were associated with the drawing of a bald man, who sometimes had a few hairs, with a big long nose, who peeked over a wall with the fingers of each hand clutching the wall. This graffiti is engraved on the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Song lyric
Car
Plane
Who was a G.I. Jesus?
Action figure
Prayer
Chaplain
A G.I. Jesus was a member of the Armed Forces who served as the religious minister at camp. Regardless of the soldier's denomination, he or she could confide in the chaplain.
Police
When a person went "bucking for a Section 8" they were trying to get what?
Discharged from the military.
Some soldiers would do anything to grab a Section 8 - from getting themselves declared crazy to shooting themselves in the foot!
A date.
Sick leave.
A car.
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A person who gives his opinion on everything is a what?
Armchair General.
An Armchair General did not care if he was informed or not, he still had an opinion. A modern version would be a Monday morning quarterback.
Backseat driver.
Mother.
President.
What did the letters CB mean?
Cheeseburger
Country bum
Confined to barracks
There were usually only two reasons a soldier would be confined to his barracks. One was if he was sick but not sick enough for the infirmary, and the other was if he was being disciplined.
Cat person
When someone said, "See the chaplain," what did he or she mean?
They should try to find God.
Go get married.
They didn't want to hear his/her troubles.
Soldiers could see the chaplain to talk over their problems, no matter how big or small they were. Chaplains were also available to give last rites to those who were dying or died, and to marry couples.
Someone should plan their funeral.
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A know-it-all about military regulations was called a what?
Pain
Father
Barracks lawyer
A barracks lawyer was a know-it-all who complained more about military regulation than anything else. He was also known as a guardhouse lawyer.
General
Canned or tinned food was called what?
C-rations
During WWII, C-rations were better than nothing but they did not taste very good. As time went on, the military put the food in a pouch and added goodies such as brownies.
Pizza
Garbage
Drink
Why didn't men like to get a Dear John letter, even if their name was John?
It forced them to go home.
It reenlisted them.
It was candy.
It was a break-up letter.
When a Dear John letter arrived, it was his sweetheart informing him that she found someone else to date or marry. Many times, having a sweetheart back home was the only thing that gave the soldier a will to live.
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A Hershey Bar was actually used as a form of what in parts of Europe?
Exchange
Soldiers in Europe used the famous chocolate bar as a means to "buy" something. If a hooker had a low rate and a candy bar could be used as a method of exchange, she was labeled a "Hershey Bar."
Food
Drink
Home
A D-ration was what?
A dirt bag.
Vitamins in blocks of chocolate.
D-Rations have been a part of a U.S. soldier's military rations since 1937. This ration served two purposes: a pocket-ration taken for a burst of energy and a boost for morale.
A song.
A woman.
Mae West was not only a famous actress, but soldiers also used her name to describe what?
A football player
An inflatable life jacket
The Inflatable life jacket was invented by Peter Markus in 1920, and he got his patent in 1928. WWII was the first major war that had Inflatable life jackets to protect their soldiers.
An actor
An airplane
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A poster of a sexy movie star was called a what?
Pin-up
WWII brought on the age of the pin-up. Men needed beautiful women as morale boosters. Some of the most famous pin-ups of WWII were Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake and Betty Grable.
Mistake
Wallpaper
Fountain
A pecker checker checked soldiers for what?
Mistakes
Venereal disease
The pecker checker was a doctor or a medical assistant. A pecker checker was also known as a pricksmith.
Uniform
Work ethic
What was R & R?
Rest and relaxation
Rest and relaxation was also known as rest and rotation. R & R gave soldiers a break from fighting to chill out in a neighboring town, camp or base, away from the action.
Run and rock
Rock and roll
Release and run
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Beans was a nickname for what?
A cook
Cooks sometimes had special relationships with the sergeants. For example, if a cook allowed a sergeant to bypass the food line, that cook might avoid having their name put on the duty roster to do more work. Sometimes cooks who fed the army or marines had to build makeshift kitchens out of fuel barrels.
A gardener
A plumber
Football
What was a noncom?
Romance movie
Non-commissioned officer
A non-commissioned officer was, and still is, a military officer who does not have his or her commission. A commissioned officer usually earns their commission through going to college instead of coming up through the enlisted ranks.
Non beer
Ex friend
AWOL means what?
A wash-out
Not in service
Absent without leave
In order to take a break from service, a soldier or officer needed to request leave and have it approved. An AWOL soldier or officer was one who took a break without obtaining the proper approval first.
Animals in need
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A pineapple wasn't a fruit, it was slang for what?
A grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is thrown by the soldier's hand. Grenades can explode on impact or after a set amount of time.
Psych
Supper
Water
Lettuce or carrots were called what?
Rabbit food
Carrots or lettuce may have been called rabbit's food, but rabbits shouldn't eat all vegetables.
Cow poop
Pig feed
Horse fodder
Gruesome twosome was what?
Criminals
Regulation shoes
Regulation shoes worn by the WACS (Women's Auxiliary Corps, U.S. Army) were uncomfortable. Although the WACS were frowned upon and hated by their male counterparts at first, as time went on the women earned respect from their peers.
Police
Twins
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Dumbo was not only a Disney character, but also slang for what?
A rescue seaplane
Dumbo's mission was to rescue U.S. pilots and seamen who were in trouble. The original plane was a heavy bomber aircraft that was converted to carry a lifeboat. The lifeboat could be dropped in the water near the people who needed to be rescued.
U-boats
Platoons
A football team
What was Anastasie?
Drink
Food
Censorship
This term was used widely in France. It was named after St. Anastasie, who had her tongue cut out by the order of Emperor Diocletian, and was therefore unable to speak.
Politics
A canary was not only a bird, but also slang for what?
A nice-looking woman.
A canary was a nice-looking woman, and a group of ladies called Canary Girls worked in munitions factories in England during WWII. The women who handled sulfur were nicknamed Canary Girls.
A ship.
A color.
A wedding.
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"Sparks" is the nickname given to what?
Fire
DJ
Radio operator
In the U.S. Navy, radio operators were found in the "Radio Shack." The various positions included Broadcast Operator, Inbound/Outbound Traffic Checker and Teletype Repairman.
Fireman
A unlucky or sad soldier was nicknamed what?
Poor person
Love actually
Invincible
Sad sack
The slang came from the comic strip of the same name. "Sad Sack" was a comic that told the story of an unnamed sorry private in the U.S. Army and his humbling experiences of military life.
Lead poisoning wasn't about filthy water or lead paint during WWII, but rather, it referred to what?
A knife wound
A bullet
It wasn't just any bullet; it was a shot that caused death or injury. Bullets are made from lead.
A movie
Father Christmas
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Housewife was slang for what?
A sewing kit
Soldiers received sewing kits at different times and places. Therefore, one soldier's sewing pack could be different than the man's next to him. Most kits had two to six spools of thread, plus a couple of needles, a thimble and a pair of scissors.
An actual wife
A soldier's mother
A car
A disgusting lemonade powder found in rations was called what?
Country Tyme
P*ss water
Battery acid
Soldiers said the drink was so disgusting that they used it as a cleaner. Coffee also had the nickname of battery acid.
Lemon Tea
A man or woman who flagged a 4-F was what?
Unfit for duty
A 4-F or 4F was a designation given to a new U.S. military recruit who was unfit for duty. He or she could have been found not acceptable due to dental, medical or other problems.
Up for promotion
Bored
In love
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If a person didn't have "jack" they didn't have any what?
Food
Money
Not having "jack" is a term still used in the present to mean that one does not have any money. The term can also mean that a person doesn't have a home, job, spouse or food.
Drink
Friends
What was a Behavior Report?
A report to a superior.
A letter to parents.
A letter to a girlfriend.
The behavior report let a soldier's girl know how he was doing and how much he cared for her. The sweethearts at home looked forward to letters from the front just as much as the men looked forward to the sugar reports from home.
A report to police.
You Got:
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