Book on Vietnam War Slang

[Jonathan Lighter]

"Doughnut Dolly" was the official Red Cross designation. So it didn't make
it to in HDAS.

Graf, Buddhist barbecue, flying lessons, carwash?

Can't say I've made the acquaintance, though most are easily guessible.

While "Charlie" is indeed principally from "Victor Charlie," many people
seem to have associated it with the great Chinese detective Charlie Chan.

JL


On Sun, Aug 24, 2014 at 1:12 PM, Cohen, Gerald Leonard <gcohen at mst.edu>
wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       "Cohen, Gerald Leonard" <gcohen at MST.EDU>
> Subject:      Re: Book on Vietnam War Slang
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> I invited Tom Dalzell to share with ads-l a few interesting items from his
> =
> new (and very welcome) book on Vietnam War Slang. Today he sent me the
> list=
>  in the message below.
>
> Incidentally, for "Charlie" (=3D Viet Cong), Dalzell gives eight quotes
> wit=
> h the references cited, but I would now add the etymology, which I believe
> =
> is already well known: "Viet Cong" > "VC" > "Victor Charlie" (in
> radio-tran=
> smission alphabet) > (for short) "Charlie."=20
>
> Again, his list is just a sample, and his book looks like a valuable
> additi=
> on to the study of war slang.
>
> Gerald Cohen
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> -----
>
> From: Dalzell, Tom [tmd9 at IBEW1245.com]
> Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2014 8:54 AM
> To: Cohen, Gerald Leonard
> Subject: RE: Book on Vietnam War Slang
>
> Sorry for the delay.
>
> Some mainstays of the Vietnam war slang lexicon include:
>
> Charlie
> Country, in
> Dink
> Dinky dau
> Double digit midget
> FIGMO
> FNG
> Freedom bird
> Gook
> Graf (verb sense 2)
> Grunt
> Hump (verb)
> Million dollar wound
> REMF
> World, the
>
> Edgier entries include:
>
> Bell Telephone hour
> Boom Boom
> Buddhist barbecue
> BUFE; buffy
> Carwash
> Dap
> Doughnut dolly
> Flying lessons
> FTA
> LBFM
>
>
> Thanks / Tom=20
>
> From: Cohen, Gerald Leonard [mailto:gcohen at mst.edu]=20
> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 3:16 PM
> To: American Dialect Society
> Cc: Dalzell, Tom
> Subject: Re: Book on Vietnam War Slang
>
> I've kept Tom Dalzell posted on the ads-l messages concerning the supposed
> =
> chemical agent "Howdy-Doody", included in his latest book, _Vietnam War
> Sla=
> ng_. Tom replied with two messages, which I now (with his permission)
> share=
>  below with ads-l.
>
> "Howdy-Doody" is clearly an outlier for Tom.  Might I now invite him to
> sha=
> re with ads-l a few items that he finds very interesting and also better
> ty=
> pify the material he came across in his research.
>
> Gerald Cohen
> ________________________________________
>
> From: Dalzell, Tom [tmd9 at IBEW1245.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2014 10:44 AM
> To: Cohen, Gerald Leonard
> Subject: Re: Book on Vietnam War Slang
>
> This is the only cite I have for it. It was marginal for that reason and
> fo=
> r the reason that the identity of the chemical agent is not revealed. I'm
> s=
> urprised that it got as much attention as it did. I have feelers out a
> coup=
> le places to see if I can find out anything more about it. Thanks, Tom
>
> From: Dalzell, Tom [tmd9 at IBEW1245.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2014 10:57 AM
> To: Cohen, Gerald Leonard
> Subject: Re: Book on Vietnam War Slang
> Thanks. I have been seeing them. I stand by my description of the term as
> m=
> arginal. I continue to be surprised by the attention being paid to it.
> Than=
> ks, Tom=
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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