As we have noticed in earlier essays, wars are often the source of new words in English. Sometimes these new words originated as military jargon which has become commonly used in everyday civilian speech. Listed below are a few of the English words which have their origins in World War II.
Bazooka:
In 1943, Major Zeb Hastings named the military’s new five-foot-long anti-tank rocket gun a bazooka. While the name came from the “bazoom” sound when the gun was fired, the word “bazooka” had actually entered English a bit earlier, though it had a different meaning. About 1935, comedian Bob Burns used a junkyard musical instrument known as a bazooka as a stage prop.
Gobbledygook:
In 1944, Representative Maury Maverick (Democrat, Texas), chairman of the Smaller War Plant Corporation, was attempting to decipher some obscure “officialese” and in response he wrote a memo banning “gobbledygook language.” Today, “gobbledygook” (also spelled “gobbledegook”) is defined as “the overinvolved, pompous talk of officialdom”. He would later claim that inspiration for the new word came from the gobbling of turkeys.
Kamikaze:
During the war against the Japanese, Kamikaze referred to the Japanese suicide air fighters who would dive bomb to their death for the glory of their country. Kamikaze means “divine wind.” Following the war, Americans adopted the word as a synonym for self-destructive behavior.
Walkie-talkie:
While portable two-way radios were developed during the 1930s, these radios, commonly called walkie-talkies, were important in providing instant communications in combat. Following the war, they became commonly used in police departments. Campers, ranchers, and others also began using them.
P-O-W:
P-O-W became the commonly used designation for Prisoner of War.
Radar:
During World War II, some new military technology was developed. Radiolocator was developed by the British as a way of locating enemy planes. This technology was adopted by the U.S. Navy where it became known as radar. The etymology of “radar” usually describes it as an acronym for “radio detecting and ranging.”
Some Civilian Words:
During World War II, civilians also developed some new expressions. Some of these have continued to be used, while others now sound a little dated.
Barber was a verb meaning “to gossip.”
Bucket was a noun describing a large, old car. No cars were manufactured in the U.S. during the war.
High pillow was a noun describing a person who was a big shot.
Mothball was used to describe a serious student.
Joad described a migratory worker.
Duck soup described something that was easy to do or a person who was considered a pushover.
Putting on the dog referred to the act of dressing up in fancy clothes.
Pancake turner was a disc jockey.