Pre-Archaic Industrial Jargon

[Martin Kaminer]

Interesting point about Cavalry -- see here from Wikipedia:

Cavalry designation
The distinct cavalry branch ceased to exist when it was absorbed into
the Armor branch in 1951, during the Korean War. Other regiments of
both armored and air cavalry exist in the Army. The patches on 1st
Cavalry Division helicopters that served in Vietnam retained the
symbol of a horse, symbolizing the mobility that characterized the
original horse cavalry. In spite of the formal disbanding of the
branch, however, the recognition of it continues on within the Army's
armor and aviation branches, where some officers choose cavalry branch
insignia over the very similar armor branch insignia or aviation "prop
and wing" insignia.
Chief, the last surviving tactical horse of the United States Cavalry,
died in 1968, at the age of 36.[9]
There is one Army Military Occupational Specialty in use from the
early cavalry days: 19D, Armored Cavalry Reconnaissance Specialist, or
Cavalry Scout.
The 1st Cavalry Division is the only presently existing division of
the Army that retains the "cavalry" name and the division retains one
detachment of ceremonial horse cavalry for morale and ceremonial
purposes. The division is otherwise divided into four armored brigades
and one air cavalry brigade, both of which contain subordinate units
that perform traditional cavalry tasks.


Interesting to observe that the only non-blue-collar entity yet
mentioned where archaic occupational titles remain in use is . . .
Congress.


On Fri, Mar 9, 2012 at 10:12 AM, James A. Landau
<JJJRLandau at netscape.com> <JJJRLandau at netscape.com> wrote:
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> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "James A. Landau <JJJRLandau at netscape.com>"
>              <JJJRLandau at NETSCAPE.COM>
> Subject:      Re: Pre-Archaic Industrial Jargon
>
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>
> The assistant engineer of a Diesel or eloectric locomotive is still known
> as the "fireman",  Also a railroad employee who moves locomotives around
> when making up trains is a "hostler".
>
> Purely a slang term, but a bulldozer operator is a "cat-skinner", derived
> from the olderterm "mule-skinnter" for a mule-driver.
>
> In the US Congress there is a position known as a "whip".
>
> I read somewhere that a "footman" was originally a servant who ran ahead,
> on foot, to arrange things for the arrival of the lord's carriage.
>
> In th US Army close-order marching drill is still known as "dismouned
> drill."  And doesn't the US Army still have a couple of "cavalry" divisions?
>
>   - Jim Landau
>
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