Grande Armée slang

As with all armed forces throughout history, the French Grande Armée of the Napoleonic Wars used a colorful and extensive vocabulary of slang terms to describe their lives, times and circumstances and express their reactions towards them.

This is a partial glossary article meant to supplement the articles on La Grande Armée and Military slang. Providing such information can greatly help the reader to understand and appreciate the lives of these soldiers. There are also a few terms included from the later Armée du Nord included here for the sake of interest and completeness.

A

; "Abbaye-de-Sot-Bougre" (Abbey of drunks) : the camp prison

; "un abreuvoir à mouches" (fly's drinking trough) : a deep gash in one's face

; "avoir sa pente" (to have one's slope) : to be a drinker.

; "Les autres chiens" (the other dogs, but sounds like the French word for Austrians) : Austrians

; "Avoir de la garnison" (having a garrison) : to have lice

; "Avoir des engelures aux yeux" (having frostbitten eyes) : to be afraid during an attack

B

; "la bamboche" (lit. the marionette, fig. debauchery) : The Legion of Honour.

; "un beau sabreur" (a fine swashbuckler) : a Hussar.

; "la bouffarde" (the puffer) : a short-stemmed pipe.

; "briscard" (from "brisque", insignia of a rehired soldier) : a veteran campaigner.

; "brise-muraille" (wall-breaker, or fort-breaker) : artilleryman

; "le brutal" (the brutal one) : Artillery.

; "un bulletin" (bulletin/report) : a liar

C

; "Les Carabins" (Sawbones) : Surgeons.

; "Le Casse-Poitrine" (Gut Breaker) : Strong drink.

; "Les Céleris" (Celery Eaters) : Commissary officers.

; "Le Chapeau" (The Hat) : Napoleon Bonaparte.

; "La charmante" (the charming [woman] ) : mange/scabies

; "Le Cheval Brutal" (Brutal Horse) : Horse artillery.

; "La Côte de Boeuf" (Side of Beef) : A sabre.

; "Les Cousins de l'Empereur" (The Emperor's Cousins) : Corsicans.

; "Un Crâne" (Skull) : An experienced campaigner.

; "Le Crucifix à Ressort" (Springed Crucifix) : A pistol.

; "Le Coucou" (Cuckoo) : A French eagle.

; "Le cul-de-singe" (monkey's arse) : the round, red, insignia patch on the grenadiers' mufti

; "Les Cupidons" (little Cupids) : Russian Baskir archers

D

; "La Débine" : Poverty.

; "Défiler en Parade" (March Off) : To die in battle.

; "Déjeuner à la fourchette" (lunch on a fork, or eating lunch with a fork) : a bayonet attack

; "Descendre la Garde" (Drop One's Guard) : To die in battle.

; "Dur à cuire" (lit. "hard to cook", tough guy) : An experienced campaigner.

; "Dur Cormant" (Hardwood) : Beef.

E

; "embrassé par une demoiselle" (kissed by a young lady) : wounded by a cannonball

; "être mis aux mites" (put in with the moths) : Jailed.

; "être abîmé" (Ruined) : To be wounded.

F

; "Faire une Bosse" : Eat well.

; "La Fête" (The Party) : War.

; "La flûte a gros bec" (the big-mouthed flute) : Artillery ; "Un Frileux" (One who is sensitive to cold) : A frightened soldier.

; "Friser" (To Graze) : A near miss.

G

; "Génies" (génie has many French definitions -- Genie, wizard, genius, engineer) : Military engineers

; "Gilets de Fer" (Steel Vests) : Cuirassiers.

; "un gigot" (a leg [as in leg of lamb] ) : an ugly or botched amputation

; "Les Goddams" (the "god damns") : British infantry.

; "Les Grands Chapeaux" (The Big Hats): Napoleon and his Marshals

; "Les Grognards" (The Grumblers/Growlers) : Imperial Old Guards.

; "Gros Talons" (Big Heels) : Cuirassiers.

H

; "Heureux comme un poisson sur la paille" (as happy as a fish in the hay) : to be depressed

; "Hypothèque" (Mortgage) : Be wounded.

I

; "Les Immortels" (Immortals) : Imperial Guardsmen.

J

; "Le Jus de l'Arbre" (Sap of the Tree) : Wine.

K

; "Les Kaiserlicks" (from "kaiserlich", "Imperial") : Austrian infantry.

L

; "Lampion" (Chinese Lantern) : Napoleon Bonaparte's cocked hat. Derived from the similar sounding "L'Empereur".

M

; "Marchand de mort subite" (merchant of sudden-death) : the Master-at-Arms

; "Marche à Regret" (Unwilling walker/marcher) : Conscript.

; "Marche à Terre" (Walks on land, or land-walker) : Foot slogger.

; "marcher à la queue au loup" (marching holding the wolf's tail) : a night march (soldiers would hold onto the coattails of the soldier in front)

; "Marie-Louise" : Enthusiastic but inexperienced Conscript of the 1813-15 drafts.

; "Mettre les Dents au Crochet" (Set One's Teeth on Edge) : To be starving.

; "Mettre sa vaisselle à l'air" (airing out one's dishes) : Wearing (showing-off) one's medals

; "La Mie de Pain" (Breadcrumbs) : Fleas.

; "Le Mot de Cambronne" (The Word of Cambronne) : Shit! (Merde!).

; "Le mois de Napoléon" (Napoleon's month) : the thirteenth month of one's tour

; "Les Musikos" : Brothels.

; "La Musique" (The Music) : War.

N

; "La Noce" (The Wedding) : War.

O

; "L'oiseau" (The Bird) : A French eagle.

; "On Déchire de la Mousseline" (They Are Ripping Muslin) : A Volley of Fire (by poorly drilled troops).

P

; "Le Patron" (The Boss) : Napoleon Bonaparte.

; "peint à l'encaustique" (painted with furniture polish) : an inexperienced hussar (they would draw moustaches on them)

; "Le Petit Caporal" (Little(humble) Corporal) : Napoleon Bonaparte.

; "Le Petit Tondu" (Little Shaved/Mowed One) : Napoleon Bonaparte.

; "Les Pékins" (The Muftis) : Civilians.

; "Piler du Poivre" (Grind Peppercorns) : Sentry duty.

; "pousse-caillou" (pebble-pusher) : infantryman

; "Pousser la botte au cochon" (to kick ["lit." push one's boot against] the pig) : running one's sword through somebody's throat

Q

R

; "Une Rafale" (A guse) : A frightened soldier.

; "Le raisin" (Grape) : Blood.

; "Riz-Pain-Sel" (Rice, Bread, Salt) : Commissary officers.

; "Le Rogomme" (Booze) : Strong drink.

S

; "Les sans-culottes" (the no-pants) : Scots

; "Les Sauterelles" (Grasshoppers) : British riflemen.

; "Le Sauve-la-Vie" (Life Saver) : Strong drink.

; "la savate" (the old slipper) : a punishment where soldiers were spanked with spiked shoes

; "Se faire laver les cheveux avec du plomb" (to have one's hair washed with lead) : to be executed by firing squad

; "Les soldats à la crème" (soldiers with cream) : Austrian troops (because of their white uniforms)

T

; "Teufels" ('Devils') : Prussian infantry.

; "Tourner de l'oeil" (Roll One's Eyes/Faint) : To die.

; "Trouver" (To Find) : To steal.

; "le trottoir à punaises" (the bedbugs' sidewalk) : the ornamental fringe on a shako visor

U

V

; "Vieille Moustache" (Old moustache) : Veteran campaigner.

; "Vielle culotte" (old pants) : A veteran

; "Vrai Bougre" (True fellow) : Veteran campaigner.

References

* Chandler, David, "Dictionary of the Napoleonic Wars". London 1979
* Haythornthwaite, Phillip, "Who Was Who in the Napoleonic Wars", London, 1998.