British Slang For Soldier (30 Examples!)

The army is a place of profound camaraderie and comradeship, and so it’s not surprising that the army tends to give rise to a great deal of slang.

A lot of this slang eventually seeps out into wider society and a lot of it does not.

The British Army is a great example of the kind of slang that can arise out of this environment.

The words simply for a soldier are hugely varied and manifold, and there is a wide variety of slang terms for soldier used in Britain and by the British Army.

Let’s look at some of the most interesting examples.

Bootneck

Firstly we have bootneck, a term used to describe Royal Marines in the British Army.

This name derives from the old custom of wearing a leather stock around their necks, and has stuck ever since.

It’s not as common as it once was today, but at the same time not unheard of.

The American slang term “leatherneck”, for their own marine corps, is derived from the same root.

Tommy

This is perhaps the most common and ubiquitous British slang term for a soldier.

It was particularly used during the First World War to describe ordinary British soldiers and sometimes officers.

The term continued to be used throughout the Second World War and the rest of the century although to a lesser extent.

It’s mostly obsolete now, and seems ot have simply been used as a generic name for a British soldier: Tommy Atkins.

It’s not quite clear when it was first used, though it seems to have been in the 19^th Century.

Rupert

A more specific slang term for an officer in the British Army is Rupert.

This is often derogatory as, particularly during the First World War, officers were resented by the ordinary soldiers who lived in really awful conditions.

It’s thought that it was simply based on the fact that Rupert would be considered to be a name given by upper class, wealthy families to their children.

Crab

“Crab” or “crab fat” is most commonly an expression referring to personnel in the RAF.

This can include anything from RAF officers to pilots and engineers.

Again, this one has largely fallen out of use now but was extremely common in the latter half of the 20^th Century.

The term is a reference to the fact that the RAF wore blue uniforms, and the Army was also given a blue powder with which to treat the STD crabs.

Jerry

During the First World War and to an extent in the Second World War, German soldiers were referred to by the British as “Jerries”.

This was not exactly meant as an offensive term, but naturally, there is always a degree of animosity between two warring sides.

It’s not entirely clear where this term comes from, but it is most likely simply an alteration of the word German.

Some think it derives from the term jeroboam, or chamber pot.

Admin vortex

One internal piece of slang used in the British Army for a very disorganized soldier is an “admin vortex”.

The sense is quite self-explanatory.

A soldier who isn’t organized with all the admin work they need to do quickly becomes overwhelmed by it, making the situation worse.

ARAB

This piece of slang sounds a lot more offensive than it actually turns out to be. In the British Army, regular soldiers who act high and mighty are called ARABs, which stands for Arrogant Regular Army Basta**.

It’s a simple acronym. It’s more of a modern term than an older one though it’s not used outside the military much.

Ate-up

What might be called a “jobsworth” in other areas of life, “ate-up” is a slang term in the British Army for someone who is far too concerned with following every single rule and regulation to the finest point of detail.

Many soldiers find this cumbersome and tiring in the field and so there arose a slang term for it.

Bagger

The history of Irish soldiers in the British Army is unfortunately not a very pleasant one.

One example of a piece of derogatory slang used for Irish soldiers was “bagger”, which compared them to a sandbag and thus suggested they were useless.

Clearing barrel

Another derogatory slang term for a certain kind of soldier was “clearing barrel”, which referred to promiscuous female soldiers.

The term refers to the red barrels that were filled with sand which you would discharge your weapon into to ensure it wasn’t loaded.

Crunchie

Used in both the British and the U.S. Army, particularly the tank divisions, was “crunchie”.

This was used for dismounted tank crew who got out of the tank, though it could also just be used for any infantry trooper.

It was a joke reference to the way they could be “crunched” under the tank if they didn’t pay enough attention.

Full screw

A very specific term for a soldier based on their rank is “full screw”.

In the British Army, a Corporal is the rank you are promoted to from Lance Jack.

When you’ve just been promoted, you are called a “full screw”, though for reasons not really known.

This term is not so widely used anymore.

Green eyed

“Green eyed” is a term used for a particularly keen and enthusiastic soldier, or less commonly for a very professional soldier.

It’s usually used for new soldiers who are keen to prove their worth and show that they are capable of doing the job.

It’s likely based on the idea of being “green” as in new to something.

Soldiers are green when they are just starting out, and green eyed if they are excessively keen at the same time.

Ground-pounder

This is a term used by the RAF to describe ground crew of any kind.

Whether it’s infantry, tank crew or anyone on the ground, they are a ground-pounder.

This was used mostly during the Second World War and isn’t so much anymore, since the RAF played a much bigger role in that war than it has in wars since.

Penguin

Another RAF term for ground based infantry and forces is “penguin”.

This is a reference to the fact that penguins, though birds, cannot fly.

A common expression used by the RAF about ground forces is that they are “all flap and no fly”.

Again, this one is not very common anymore.

Air-dales

On the other hand, the ground forces also had their own terms for the pilots and officers in the RAF.

A common slang term for pilots and aircrew was “air-dales”, and this was usually somewhat derogatory.

That said, there was very little real animosity between different branches of the Armed Forces.

Grow bag

Another ground force slang for soldiers in the RAF and aircrew in general was “grow bag”.

This was another reference to the color of the uniforms, particularly the green of the RAF flight suits which pilots would wear while flying in aircraft.

Gun-plank

In the artillery units, one term for a junior officer was “gun-plank”.

A gun-plank is a piece of wood that would be wedged under an artillery piece to stop it sinking into the mud from the recoil when it fired.

The sense, then, was that the junior officer would be more useful wedged under the gun than in whatever they were otherwise doing.

Jack tar

Here we have a Navy term, one used in both the British and Australia Navy.

A “jack tar” is a fellow sailor or comrade, or it may also sometimes refer to an enthusiastic and overly proud sailor.

The term “jack” can be a really negative slang term for a soldier outside of the Navy, though this isn’t used so much anymore either way.

Lance jack

This is a simple slang term for a Lance Corporal in the Army.

Jack, as we’ve just seen, is or at least was a common expression in the British Army.

Lance Jack may have been a derogatory term for particularly unpleasant Lance Corporals, who would supervise groups of infantry soldiers.

Matelot

This one is fairly straightforward, again relating to soldiers in the British Navy.

It is directly borrowed from the French word for soldier, pronounced mat-low.

Any sailor in the British Navy is a matelot.

This one is, again, not as common as it once was but is in fact still used by some Navy sailors.

The old man

This slang term for a unit commander is very common in both British and American slang in the army.

Even if the commander is female, or not even particularly old, they may still be called the old man.

It’s a simple reference to the fact of older men usually having the authority.

It’s a term of respect, but it’s generally not used in the presence of the “old man” themselves.

SAT

Not to be confused with the U.S. slang term sat meaning “satisfactory,”

SAT is an acronym in the British Army for “Soldier Awaiting Training”.

This means any soldier who hasn’t been posted yet and is awaiting their training so they can be sent out on rotation.

This one is quite commonly used today and is not all that old, as far as we can tell.

Scablifter

A gruesome and unpleasant slang term, next we have “scablifter” which you might have guessed relates to army medics.

They would lift scabs to clean and treat wounds, thus scablifter.

A simple, to the point, descriptive slang term for soldiers in the medical branch.

Sea daddy

Another Navy specific term, as you might have guessed, is “sea daddy”.

This refers to an older sailor or enlisted man in the Navy who guides and aids junior recruits during the early part of their careers.

It’s not very common to use this one anymore, though it is still heard from time to time.

Semi-skimmed

This is a slang term for the British Royal Marines, being a reference to the fact that they wear green berets.

In Britain, semi-skimmed milk always features a green cap to distinguish it from skimmed blue caps and red whole caps.

This is another more recent term that is certainly still used today.

Shellback

Virtually all English speaking navies use this term to some extent, but it was first coined by the British Navy.

This refers to a sailor who, during their tour with the Navy, crossed the Equator.

The “line crossing ceremony” is an initiation rite that dates back as far as the 18^th Century, in which older Shellbacks harass the initiates.

Snotty

Another Navy term, a new, untrained subordinate officer in the Navy is called a snotty.

This is thought to refer to the fact the way that children get snotty noses, and thus untrained and green new soldiers are “snotty”.

Squaddie

This is a simple and universally used British slang for a soldier in the lower ranks, a new enlisted member like a cadet or private.

It can, confusingly, also be a slang term for a squad leader in the British Army, too.

Squawk

Finally we have squawk, which is a slang term for a soldier in the Army Air Corps.

It’s a simple reference to the fact that they fly like birds—sometimes the simplest slang is the best!

From light-hearted pejoratives used by the Air Force to describe the infantry to outright offensive and outdated terms for female soldiers, the army is full of all kinds of creative and colorful slang terms for soldier.

Many of those work their way into civilian vocabularies and some remain buried forever, but we have records of so many it’s difficult to keep track of it all.

More in British Slang

Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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