Them's fightin' words

[Neville Briggs]

Being the centenary of the Great War, I decided to write down all the military words I could think of that might be useful for poetry.
After making the list, I noticed that they all had something in common ( apart from being military terms ) Can you see the common link in all these military words.


General,Brigadier,Colonel,Captain,Lieutenant,Sergeant,Corporal,martinet,uniform,epaulet,
beret,gorget,lanyard,column,brigade,platoon,troop,company,battalion,section,corps, infantry,fusilier,grenadier,bombardier,morale,grenade,bayonet,bullet,carbine,cartridge, artillery,rocket,magazine,ordinance,barrage,bombard,mortar,camouflage,strategy,surround, massacre, ambush,reveille,manoeuvre,reconnoitre,bivouac,feint,parade.

[Heather]

Umm, quite a few are French - ish.

[Bob Pacey]

They all have letters in em


Bob

[Vic Jefferies]

Non of them mention the most important rank in the RAAF: Leading Aircraftman!

[Neville Briggs]

Sorry boys but you're outdone by a woman. Heather is almost right.

They are all words from the French language. Interesting what language reveals about things, we might think of the Germans or Russians as being militaristic but the French military machine is the biggest and most powerful military force in Europe, with a long and mostly successful history.
Watch out for those skinny blokes in striped t shirts, sipping coffee and smoking galoises at the cafe l'Escargo, they're tougher than you think.

[Heather]

.... but not just ANY woman, Neville!