View source for 1914 Lucky Bag Glossary

The 1914 Lucky Bag included a glossary of terms.

<dl>
<dt>Amount Available</dt>
<dd>A negative quantity hindering your drawing your $3 per.</dd>

<dt>Anchor Man</dt>
<dd>Pud Leonard—our mainstay.</dd>

<dt>Anns</dt>
<dd>''The'' game of the year—The Departments ''vs.'' the Classes.</dd>

<dt>Bat (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To score on a department, decisively, in a P-work, or exam.</dd>

<dt>Bat (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Differentiation between the N.E. and S.W. Wings;—4 companies.</dd>

<dt>Bilge (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To go on leave in February as a civilian, First Class, U. S. A.</dd>

<dt>Bilger</dt>
<dd>One who, once on the outside, doesn't know enough to stay there.</dd>

<dt>Bird</dt>
<dd>A Buzzard, a graduate of the Hinders.</dd>

<dt>Blood</dt>
<dd>Of the aristocracy; a Beau Brummel; one able to enter the Supt's house after chapel without being kicked out by the sentry—Angel.</dd>

<dt>Boat Officer</dt>
<dd>One who talks with ease; a conversationalist; Teasley; Hatch.</dd>

<dt>Bone</dt>
<dd>Actually to attempt to find out what the lesson's about.</dd>

<dt>Bones (''n'')</dt>
<dd>Confidential chats with Doc MacDowell.</dd>

<dt>Brace (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To give a military bearing.</dd>

<dt>Brick (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To ask a guy to drag a "friend of a friend of yours."</dd>

<dt>Brick (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>That "friend of a friend"—a 1.0.</dd>

<dt>B.S.</dt>
<dd>A form of Mexican Athletics most popular at the Naval Academy.</dd>

<dt>Bull</dt>
<dd>The magnetic material that made Smoke Hall famous.</dd>

<dt>Bust</dt>
<dd>To fail to score on a department.</dd>

<dt>Butt</dt>
<dd>The magnetic South pole of a skag; a fraction of anything.</dd>

<dt>Buzzard</dt>
<dd>A small, artistic and beautifying bird, captured by "Turkey Austin."</dd>

<dt>Calc</dt>
<dd>The Youngster's Nightmare.</dd>

<dt>Candidate</dt>
<dd>The poor unfortunate "chosen from many" to "represent your part of the country."</dd>

<dt>Chaney's Best</dt>
<dd>A Hack modeled after those of the ancient Saxons—built neither for speed nor comfort.</dd>

<dt>Christmas Tree</dt>
<dd>The bulletin, published along Christmas time, of those hitting the weak squad mentally.</dd>

<dt>Cit</dt>
<dd>A free, much-to-be-envied ''Human'' Being.</dd>

<dt>Cits</dt>
<dd>The clothes God intended men to wear.</dd>

<dt>Clean Sleeve</dt>
<dd>The 1st Classman fortunate enough to be eternally carefree—see Hinders.</dd>

<dt>Cold (''adjective'')</dt>
<dd>Absolute, derived from its application to absolute temperature -461°F. Example: "I made a cold zip on that exam."</dd>

<dt>Com</dt>
<dd>The origin of all orders published.</dd>

<dt>Crab</dt>
<dd>One of the fairer sex of Crabtown.</dd>

<dt>Crabtown</dt>
<dd>A "group of buildings" constituting a town equal in population to that of Choptank, the "Rio de Janeiro" of Maryland.</dd>

<dt>Cross Country</dt>
<dd>Athletics for the "Westons."</dd>

<dt>Dago</dt>
<dd>A 4-year argument with Natives for a 2.5.</dd>

<dt>Day's Work</dt>
<dd>The Nav Department's favorite form of Saturday A.M. "entertainment."</dd>

<dt>Depanted</dt>
<dd>To be forced by the Prof. to put in a "req" for 1 pr. Blue Service Trousers.</dd>

<dt>Depantagraph</dt>
<dd>The height of diabolical engineering—an instrument designed to keep the Profs and their families well clothed.</dd>

<dt>Drag</dt>
<dd>Literally to cart along a femme.</dd>

<dt>Duty</dt>
<dd>A 24-hour trick at "Obedience and Fidelity"—Week days, a Godsend; Hop nights, Hell.</dd>

<dt>Exams</dt>
<dd>Monthly scrimmages with the Departments.</dd>

<dt>Femme</dt>
<dd>One of those "dainty, tripping mortals" that make our Hops the "best in the country."</dd>

<dt>4.0</dt>
<dd>A mark now obsolete—formerly given for knowing what the lesson was about.</dd>

<dt>Frap (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To hit; to perch; to adorn;—to find one's name on the "tree" or "pap."</dd>

<dt>French (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To "visit friends within the limits of Annapolis" via the wall.</dd>

<dt>Functions</dt>
<dd>The 200 odd candidates who start their cruise on the "Reina," early in May.</dd>

<dt>Fuss (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To drag a femme; to quit the Red Mikes.</dd>

<dt>Fusser (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>A ladies' man.</dd>

<dt>Goat (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The god of the Hinders.</dd>

<dt>Gouge (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To violate Our Honor System.</dd>

<dt>Grade (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Result of a handful of d's—Extra duty for the plebes, no liberty for us.</dd>

<dt>Grease (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To try to slip one over your classmates for class standing.</dd>

<dt>Greaser (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>One who asks the prof. for night P-Work in Nav.</dd>

<dt>Greyleg (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>In the Service, a marine; at the Academy, the orderlies, drummers, etc.</dd>

<dt>Gyrene (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Obsolete at the Academy—but still attributed to us by the papers, authorities, etc.</dd>

<dt>Hinders (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The gange of clean sleevers who entertained us every night in Smoke Hall in their worship of "the great god Goat."</dd>

<dt>Hit (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To "bat"—to "frap."</dd>

<dt>Holy Joe (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The Chaplain.</dd>

<dt>Hop (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>A fortnightly "spectacle" held in the gym for the benefit of the plebes and stags.</dd>

<dt>Hustlers (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The phantom N 2nds that make our Navy Teams so well known.</dd>

<dt>Johnny Gow (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>An entree to Mechanisms.</dd>

<dt>Kaydet (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Our partners in misery on the Hudson.</dd>

<dt>Leave (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The one time a year you forget the Navy and become again a civilized human being.</dd>

<dt>Liberty (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>To "visit the city of Annapolis and vicinity."</dd>

<dt>Log, The (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The "Life" of the Academy; "More than 1200 a week."</dd>

<dt>Masqueraders (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The two annual "shows"—our two chances to tell the profs what we think of them.</dd>

<dt>Math (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Something they heave at you plebe year, youngster year, 2nd Class year—in all forms, characters, shapes and devices.</dd>

<dt>May Pole (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Revise list of Mental Weak Squad.</dd>

<dt>Mess Hall (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Our "palatial" dining apartment.</dd>

<dt>Nav (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The "science" by which it is claimed Crabtown ''can'' be located.—Navigation.</dd>

<dt>Non-reg (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>On not out for "stripes."</dd>

<dt>O.C. (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The Officer-in-Charge—for 24 hours a day, the fear of all 2nd Class Smokers, and of all other breakers of the "Regulations."</dd>

<dt>O.D.</dt>
<dd>The Officer-of-the-Day—A midshipman imitation of the O.C.</dd>

<dt>Pap (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Daily report of mid'n attached to the U.S.N.A. The cheering starter for the 15-hour day.</dd>

<dt>Plebe (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>A passed candidate,—braced, cussed out, and ignored by the upper classmen—yet a midshipman of the Brigade.</dd>

<dt>P-rade (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The Brigade on the march.</dd>

<dt>Pred (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The guy whose place in here you're taking.</dd>

<dt>P-Work</dt>
<dd>Practical work. In Nav: a 24-hour "Day's Work." In other departments: fruit.</dd>

<dt>Polaris (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>A "star" play of the Nav Department that is bound to give them the victory.</dd>

<dt>Queen (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The "girl back home"—a 4.0.</dd>

<dt>Rag (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To rag a guy; to catch him in the act; to rag a skag; to catch a smoke.</dd>

<dt>Rate (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The laws and customs by which one class governs others below it.</dd>

<dt>Ratey (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>One who thinks he belongs to the class above his own.</dd>

<dt>Red Mike (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>The freest man in the Academy—a scorner of the fairer sex.</dd>

<dt>Reg (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>As per regulations.</dd>

<dt>Req (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>Requisition—of which there are various forms, from permission to dine—to one for a pr. of skates.</dd>

<dt>Rhino (''noun'')</dt>
<dd>A guy down on the world,—the Academy,—and himself.</dd>

<dt>Running</dt>
<dd>To interrogate a plebe on the "whichness of what."</dd>

<dt>Sat</dt>
<dd>To have a 2.5 and be able to look Tecumseh in the eye.</dd>

<dt>Savoir</dt>
<dd>One naturally savvy.</dd>

<dt>Savvy</dt>
<dd>One who can bat a 4.0 without saluting Tecumseh.</dd>

<dt>Semi-ans</dt>
<dd>The mid-year "game" with the departments.</dd>

<dt>Shower</dt>
<dd>The practical constant in Doyle's Laws.</dd>

<dt>Skag</dt>
<dd>A cigarette—Bull Durham, Pall Mall, or Benson and Hedges.</dd>

<dt>Skinny</dt>
<dd>Physics and Chemistry—so called from the founder of that department.</dd>

<dt>Smoke Hall</dt>
<dd>The 1st Classmen's "Club."</dd>

<dt>Spoon (''verb'')</dt>
<dd>To shake hands with a plebe; to like.</dd>

<dt>Spuds</dt>
<dd>The "corner stone" of the Navy.</dd>

<dt>Squad</dt>
<dd>Weak Squad, Swimming Squad, etc., etc.—forms of Special Athletics.</dd>

<dt>Stag</dt>
<dd>One who hasn't courage to drag his femme to the hop.</dd>

<dt>Stag line</dt>
<dd>The critics of the hop.</dd>

<dt>Star</dt>
<dd>One making 85% multiple for the year.</dd>

<dt>Statement</dt>
<dd>An attempt to get out of some d's [demerits].</dd>

<dt>Steam</dt>
<dd>The 2nd Classman's stumbling block—boilers and engines.</dd>

<dt>St. Johnnies</dt>
<dd>The local collegians—the miniature West Pointers.</dd>

<dt>Straight Dope</dt>
<dd>Sure advice on the morrow's "market."</dd>

<dt>Stripes</dt>
<dd>Diagonal—class designators; horizontal—cadet officers.</dd>

<dt>"Sun"</dt>
<dd>A word of endearment—the nickname for favorite profs.</dd>

<dt>Supe</dt>
<dd>The Superintendent of the Naval Academy—the last resort of the Midshipman outward bound.</dd>

<dt>Tecumseh</dt>
<dd>The wooden god whom all wooden men salute on the way to an exam.</dd>

<dt>Tendency</dt>
<dd>A draft in your room—fruit for a smoke.</dd>

<dt>The Dansant</dt>
<dd>A ragging party—with tea.</dd>

<dt>Touge</dt>
<dd>One who thinks "every hair on his head is a marline-spike."</dd>

<dt>Tree</dt>
<dd>The weekly report of those unsat.</dd>

<dt>2.50</dt>
<dd>Tecumseh's motto.</dd>

<dt>Unsat</dt>
<dd>One of the followers of Tecumseh temporarily out of luck.</dd>

<dt>Valentine</dt>
<dd>A "request" for your resignation.</dd>

<dt>Whip</dt>
<dd>A very small fraction of anything; as at breakfast table, "99 and a whip."</dd>

<dt>White House</dt>
<dd>The U.S.S. "Reina Mercedes"—the "Home for Convicts."</dd>

<dt>Wooden</dt>
<dd>Just naturally boneheaded—a copier of Tecumseh.</dd>

<dt>Yard Engine</dt>
<dd>A guy that will fuss a girl for a 2.5.</dd>

<dt>Youngster</dt>
<dd>A passed Plebe—the ratiest, most happy go lucky class in the Academy.</dd>

<dt>Zip</dt>
<dd>A zero—something handed us often and which we more often rate.</dd>
</dl>