- Bunting tosser
'Bunting tosser' or 'Bunts' is an informal term used in the
Royal Navy to describe the sailors who hoist signal flags. Although dating from the period of signalling by flags cite web
title=Bunting Tosser
url=http://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/FLAGS/vxt-dvb3.html#buntingtosser
publisher=Dictionary ofVexillology ] , it has survived as a general term for naval signallers.cite web
title="My father, ... served as a signalman (a bunting tosser)"
url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/user/04/u235604.shtml
publisher= [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar BBC WW2 People's War project] ] Wireless operators may also be termed 'sparkers'.Bunting is now a commonplace term for any small decorative flags or streamers strung on a line, but its original etymology is more specific as the
worsted cloth used for flags in the Navy.The term doesn't appear in
Covey Crump , although that's a far from infallible source.Covey Crump on Brass Monkeys]Although a naval term, 'bunting tosser' is known across the services and may be used as a jocular insult amongst Army signallers, the implication being that the person addressed is only fit for the Navy. cite web
title="Tidied up your gash spelling as well, you Bunting tosser."
url=http://www.arrse.co.uk/cpgn2/Forums/viewtopic/p=1948550.html#1948550
publisher= [http://www.arrse.co.uk ARmy Rumour SErvice] ]References
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