Wtf?

[FEELINGLUCKYPUNK]

I spend too much time researching the etymology of names and terms. The latest is DOG ROBBER.


iTS A its a military term from long ago. Literally its a guy who steals bones and table scraps from a dog. In Vietnam a dog robber was a thief who stole what was common and plentiful but unavailable to mere mortals such as enlisted soldiers. Toilet paper, paper cups, food. We usta steal C Rations cus the cooked chow was shit. The VIPS stole the best food from the soldiers. On many occasions potable water wasn't available.

CRACKER is another confusing term. In 1895 Frederic Remington defined Cracker a Florida cowboy who used whips to signal other cowboys. No. A Cracker was a chicken thief who existed by begging, borrowing, and theft. But plenty of Floridians embrace the insult. Cracker was an insult before 1895.

 

[CuteSlaveLisa]

"Dog Robber" goes back to at least The Korean War, oh, sorry, The Korean Police Action. My father was "deputized" for that one. He used the term usually disperingly. He explained to a bemused little girl that they called the junior officers, company XO, etc. "Dog Robbers" because they would take a half-eaten bone from a dog if the Company Commander wanted it.

Lisa Ann