Naval slang has been used since the formation of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), much of it taken from the Royal Navy. The following is a brief collection of terms and sayings that may be heard in most RAN ships or establishments.
Over the years, hundreds of naval words, terms and expressions have found their way into everyday language. Some of these include ‘the cat is out of the bag’, ‘above board’, ‘long shot’ and ‘over a barrel’.
The term ‘chock-a-block’, meaning ‘full’, is a naval expression. It comes from the days of sail, when blocks and tackle were in common use in a ship’s rigging. When the lower block of a tackle was run close to the upper one and could not be hoisted higher, they were said to be ‘chock-a-block’.
The term ‘slush fund’ was also originally a nautical term. The slush was the fat or grease skimmed from the top of the cauldron when boiling salted meat. Ships’ officers would sell the fat to tallow makers and the proceeds kept as a ‘slush’ fund for small purchases for the ship’s company.
- Adrift: absent or late for a muster
- Ahoy: a seaman's call for attention
- All nighters in: all night in one’s bed or a night without going on watch
- Aloft: anything above the main deck of the ship
- Alongside: against the side of the ship, such as the wharf
- Amidships: the centre part of a ship or boat
- As you were: a warning to return to your original position
- Avast: stop what you are doing
- Badges: short name for continuous service badges
- Bait layer: a member of the cookery branch
- Bandy: a musician
- Banyan: a beach barbecue
- Beagle: a steward
- Below there: a call to a person below
- Bight: a loop or slack in a length of rope
- Birdie: a member of the aviation branch
- Black cat: a person with more impressive stories than you
- Bravo zulu: well done (BZ)
- Brew: a coffee or tea
- Bright work: polished metal fittings
- Buffer: sailor in charge of the boatswain branch
- Burgoo: porridge
- Buzz: a rumour
- Common dog: common sense
- Civvies: civilian clothing or personnel
- Deck head: the roof
- Dhobey: washing or laundry
- Dhobey dust: washing powder
- Dibbie: a member of the boatswains branch
- Dit: a story, book or movie
- Double duffer: a member of ships’ company who consumes two servings of dessert
- Duff: dessert
- Fang bosun: dentist
- Freshers: fresh water
- Gammas: sunlight
- Getters: thongs
- Goffer: a soft drink
- Goffer bits: loose change
- Gongs: medals
- Greenie: an electrical sailor
- Grey funnel line: the RAN
- Half a dog watch: a short amount of time
- Heads: toilet
- Irish pennant: a loose end of material hanging off a uniform
- Jack or Jack Tar: a sailor
- Jibbers: sauce or cleaning product
- Killick or Kellick: a Leading Seaman
- Kit: uniform
- Maccas: snacks or confectionery
- Maggot bag: meat pie
- Oppo: a friend or colleague
- Pay off: discharge from the Navy
- Pipe down: cease work for the day
- Pit: bed
- Rack: bed
- Redders: tomato sauce
- Rocky: Naval Reserve member
- Scab lifter: a medical sailor
- Scran: food or a meal served at sea
- Sculling: anything left lying around
- Scribe: a writer
- Sin bosun: a chaplain
- Skipper: captain of a ship
- Sky pilot: a chaplain
- Skulk or skulking: the act of knowingly avoiding work
- Soggies: cereal
- Stoker: a marine technician – the term is derived from the days when ships were coal burners whose furnaces required frequent stoking
- Throw a goffer: salute
- Tiddley oggie: a pastie
- Train smash: a breakfast dish made from tomatoes
- Under-armers: deodorant
- Uppers: upper deck of the ship
- Warm the bell: to prepare for an early departure or end of a watch
Nicknames
Nicknames also abound in the RAN. Generic nicknames include ‘Blue’ for a RAN member with red hair, or ‘Dutchy’ for a member with a surname beginning with ‘Van’. The following is a list of common surnames and their associated monikers.
- Bell: Dinga
- Bennett: Wiggy
- Brown: Bomber
- Clark: Nobby
- Evans: Dorry
- Fleming: Fluff
- Gale: Windy
- Gordon: Flash
- Gray: Dolly
- Hill: Windy
- Hudson: Rock
- Jones: Spike
- Lane: Shady
- Martin: Pincher
- Metcalfe: Chops
- Miller: Dusty
- Moore: Pony
- Murphy: Spud
- Neal: Scratcher
- Payne: Whacker
- Parker: Nosey
- Patterson: Banjo
- Reynolds: Debbie
- Rodgers: Buck
- Smith: Smouch
- Taylor: Squizzy
- Walker: Phantom
- Webb: Spider
- White: Knocker
- Williams: Bungy
- Wilson: Tug
- Wright: Shiner