This month, our Army family member is traveling to Poland to train with the Polish army. This set my mind to thinking about military terms and what they mean. Try your luck and see if you are battle-ready. 1. What is the military origin of the word “grenade”? It is taken from the name of the Frenchman who invented it, Louis Grenardier (1678-1729); It derives from its similarity to a fruit, called the “pomegranate”; It was originally called “Greenade,” from sulphur gas bombs that gave off a toxic green gas; The “Grenades” were a wild Balkan troop of brigands who made and used the first primitive hand-thrown explosives.
2. What is the military origin of the word “deadline”? A soldier placed on the front line facing an enemy was said to be on the “deadline”; To set a timed fuse on a bomb was called “setting the deadline”; A World War I term for the forward most trench was a “deadline”; In the American Civil War, prisoners would be shot on sight if they stepped over a line marked on the ground called the “deadline”.
3. What is the military origin of the phrase “cut and run”? The British Army in Africa would tie lines of potential slaves together to await a slave ship. A slave able to cut himself from the line and escape was said to “cut and run”; When at anchor and subjected to an attack, the captain would order the anchor line to be cut in order to escape rapidly; In the days when rum was an issued ration aboard Royal Navy ships, a crew member who queued twice for his “cut” of rum would flee quickly once supplied a second time. He was said to take his “cut” of rum and “run”; In jungle warfare, leeches were an immense problem, especially to legs. The Medical Officer would cut away a leech from a soldiers leg allowing him to continue his duties, i.e. to “cut and run”.
4. What is the military origin of the phrase “biting the bullet”? In the American Civil War, one really needed three hands to load the gunpowder, wad, bullet and then tamp down with a ramrod. Soldiers would hold the bullet in their teeth while they completed the process; Some soldiers would chew on the lead tip of a bullet, believing it to have hallucinogenic properties; Battlefield soldiers would brace themselves for the agony of a non-anaesthetized operation in the field by biting on the soft lead of a bullet; It was thought that saliva on a bullet oiled the barrel of a weapon thus preventing potentially fatal gun jams.
5. What is the military origin of the phrase “the balloon’s gone up?” A weather balloon would be hoisted on a line and would rise as indication of improving weather; A manned observation balloon has been hoisted on the front lines, thus indicating that fresh intelligence is in; A signal to one's own troops that a Zeppelin had crossed over from enemy lines; In the World War I, a balloon would be launched to signal the start of an offensive.
ANSWERS
1. It derives from its similarity to a fruit called the “pomegranate.” The first grenades were constructed in the 1500s in China. They were typically ceramic or glass encased balls filled with gunpowder and with a short fuse. The shrapnel that flew from them reminded victims of the countless seeds inside a pomegranate. The French first coined the term “grenade” from the old French “pome grenate”. 2. During the American Civil War, a demarcation line was drawn on the ground between 20-50 feet inside the perimeter fence of a prison. All prisoners were aware that crossing this line put them at risk of being shot by guards. 3. A ship at anchor could not depart speedily, so to cut free when under attack, or in danger from a fire ship, the order would be given to “cut and run” with the wind, leaving the anchor behind on the seabed. 4. Anesthetics were not often available when medical operations were performed in the field. The patient would bite upon a bullet in an effort to alleviate the pain. 5. In the World War I, a balloon would be launched to signal the start of an offensive.