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Post by spoon on Dec 19, 2021 12:24:32 GMT -5
Reporting on the recent death of spy George Blake, an NPR newscaster described him as a former "M-sixteen" agent. A British newscaster would be unlikely to make that mistake. (Blake was an MI6 agent) Reminds me of a story from WWII:
An American soldier was sent collect a crate of boot polish from an Aussie quartermaster. When asked what type of boot polish, the GI said it was called "K One W One", which confused the quartermaster. The American then added that it had a picture of a "lame-ass duck" on the lid and the penny dropped. The brand is called KIWI (the most common brand of shoe polish in Australia and New Zealand) and the lid has a picture of (what else?) a kiwi.
I wonder if the soldier was clueless because the brand hadn't broken yet, or he just was sheltered and never heard the word kiwi. I saw that because I'm American and Kiwi is the brand I think of when I (rarely) think of shoe polish. I looked it up just to confirm this, and it turns out Kiwi has a majority of the market share in the U.S., and has been been a subsidiary of U.S. companies (first Sara Lee, then S.C. Johnson Wax) for most of my life. It could also be apocryphal. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 19, 2021 13:01:46 GMT -5
Yeah, I agree with spoon: growing up in the US, Kiwi shoe polish is pretty much the only brand of shoe polish I ever knew about.
And here's another anecdote, also tied to the US military and recounted to me by my older brother after he'd completed basic training in the army (in the summer of 1981): during one morning inspection, their drill sergeant was unhappy with the shine on the boots of several recruits, so he said something to the effect of: "I can hear them boots complaining. Listen real close, you (*insert demeaning NSFW expletive here*). Can you hear it? They're squealing Kiwi! Kiwi! Kiwi!"
Obviously none of them needed to have that explained to them.
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Post by Rob Allen on Dec 19, 2021 13:28:41 GMT -5
Something I heard recently:
Brits think 100 miles is a long distance, and Americans think 100 years is a long time.
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Post by Mormel on Dec 19, 2021 16:57:14 GMT -5
Living in the Netherlands, I'll give that to the Brits. Going a 100 miles from anywhere can either take you across the border, or into the sea.  |
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Post by foxley on Dec 19, 2021 17:46:54 GMT -5
Reminds me of a story from WWII:
An American soldier was sent collect a crate of boot polish from an Aussie quartermaster. When asked what type of boot polish, the GI said it was called "K One W One", which confused the quartermaster. The American then added that it had a picture of a "lame-ass duck" on the lid and the penny dropped. The brand is called KIWI (the most common brand of shoe polish in Australia and New Zealand) and the lid has a picture of (what else?) a kiwi.
I wonder if the soldier was clueless because the brand hadn't broken yet, or he just was sheltered and never heard the word kiwi. I saw that because I'm American and Kiwi is the brand I think of when I (rarely) think of shoe polish. I looked it up just to confirm this, and it turns out Kiwi has a majority of the market share in the U.S., and has been been a subsidiary of U.S. companies (first Sara Lee, then S.C. Johnson Wax) for most of my life. It could also be apocryphal. It very well might be apocryphal, but Kiwi wasn't sold to a US corporation until 1984: decades after this story was supposed to have happened. It was adopted by the US Army during WWI, but I'm guessing they would have reverted to a US supplier between the wars. And how well would a kiwi bird be known to a poorly educated American in the 1940s? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 19, 2021 17:54:27 GMT -5
Random, but this military talk got me thinking…
With some exceptions/changes, British Army and U.S. Army ranks are similar, so both forces have corporals, sergeants, warrant officers, plus officer ranks such as lieutenants, majors, colonels, etc.
Again, with exceptions, our naval ranks are similar, so both navies have enlisted ranks such as chief petty officers, plus officer ranks such as lieutenants, lieutenant commanders, etc.
But our air forces are very different. While the USAF has the likes of captains, colonels and generals, we have pilot officers, squadron leaders, wing commanders, air marshals, etc.
Not the most important thing to think about, but I just find it interesting how different sounding our RAF ranks are different from USAF ranks.
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Post by foxley on Dec 19, 2021 18:13:53 GMT -5
Random, but this military talk got me thinking… With some exceptions/changes, British Army and U.S. Army ranks are similar, so both forces have corporals, sergeants, warrant officers, plus officer ranks such as lieutenants, majors, colonels, etc. Again, with exceptions, our naval ranks are similar, so both navies have enlisted ranks such as chief petty officers, plus officer ranks such as lieutenants, lieutenant commanders, etc. But our air forces are very different. While the USAF has the likes of captains, colonels and generals, we have pilot officers, squadron leaders, wing commanders, air marshals, etc. Not the most important thing to think about, but I just find it interesting how different sounding our RAF ranks are different from USAF ranks. I suspect it is because the UK had the world's first independent air force: formed in 1918 while WWI was still ongoing, and comprised of personnel from the Royal Army Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service. I suspect they developed a new ranking system so it didn't seem like they were favoring one service over the other, and it incorporates by army ranks (Air Marshal) and navy (Air Commodore). The Commonwealth countries followed suit, with South Africa and Australia being the next countries to form independent air forces, and naturally adopted the British ranks. In the US, however, the air force was part of the army until after WWII (despite being an independent service in all but name). So when it did become a independent service, it already had a full compliment of officers and enlisted men, all of whom already held army rank. So the ranks were kept, with the words 'Air Force' appended in front. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 23, 2021 0:43:11 GMT -5
The Kiwi story is total BS. Their first manufacturing plant, in the US, was opened in Philadelphia, around 1939 and the brand immensely popular from the start. US soldiers previewed it earlier, while serving in Shanghai. The water resistant nature made it a big seller and the US military was using it in the war (WW2) and selling it in the PX. I can't speak for kids of the 30s, but kids of the 60s and 70s knew what a kiwi bird was and where it came from. Children's atlases and encyclopedias featured stuff like that, since it was a national symbol. You get a lot of nonsense like that, especially around the military, to present one group or another as a bunch of rubes. There is another urban legend about a radio exchange with a US aircraft carrier and someone who has them on radar, telling them to alter course. The carrier refuses to alter course, saying they are the USS (fill in a name) and the other ship should divert from their course. The hailer replies that they are a lighthouse and to change their course immediately. Anyone who has ever been in the Navy knows that is total BS, because all naval vessels have radar and can see the outline of a coast on it, long before it is in visual range. Also, lighthouses are marked on nautical charts as points of reference for dead reckoning (taking a set of bearings from known positions to identify your position on a chart). Also, these days, they all have satnav, which would also identify the coast. Even before that, a Loran receiver would have identified that position, as any place with a lighthouse would be within the Loran network. Civilians are another story, though. Anyone who has been in the military knows the right way to use shoe polish, which is to light it on fire, then snuff out the flame, and rub the melted polish into the leather, then use cotton balls, dipped in warm water, to work the polish into the leather, then buff with a cloth to get the high shine. The hard part is to get a base coat on the leather. After that, you need very little polish to get a mirror shine. I had my leather uniform shoes to the point that I just dabbed a bit on the toes and worked it in for about 10 minutes and then buffed and I was done with them, for inspection. That was by the end of my Freshman year. Only morons actually spit on their shoes, for a spit-shine. As for the USAF? Bunch of bus drivers.....hence the uniform! |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 23, 2021 0:45:38 GMT -5
In the UK, what you use to erase pencil marks in called a 'rubber.'  Put a picture of the band Slade on the cover and that story takes on a whole new meaning. |
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Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 23, 2021 4:47:29 GMT -5
The Kiwi story is total BS. (...) Yeah, seems like. It kind of has the same vibe as that very likely made-up anecdote about a woman asking for a "710 cap" in an auto parts shop. |
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Post by Rob Allen on Dec 23, 2021 18:59:02 GMT -5
As for the USAF? Bunch of bus drivers.....hence the uniform! My wife (Major USAFR-Ret.) would probably have something to say if I show her this post. What's it worth to you to make sure she never sees it? |
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Post by codystarbuck on Dec 24, 2021 0:00:32 GMT -5
As for the USAF? Bunch of bus drivers.....hence the uniform! My wife (Major USAFR-Ret.) would probably have something to say if I show her this post. What's it worth to you to make sure she never sees it? Oh, Please, I used to make the same joke to my father, who served in the Air Force.  We all poke fun at each other, until the s#$% starts flying, then we are all the same team. My own boss is ex-Air Force and we poke fun at each other all the time. Besides, we all think the Marines are nuts! We used to have joint field meets, with the other ROTC units, at the Univ of Illinois, and half of it was spent playfully insulting each other and the other half was demonstrating how well we could cheat in various competitions. I've heard it all: Good Humor men, homosexual couples after a week at sea, running the ship aground, yadda-yadda-yadda. The Marines do the same thing, until they embark a ship and spend weeks puking up their guts, while sailors laugh. Those sailors don't laugh, though, when we send the Marines ashore. Everybody who takes that oath and puts on the uniform is part of a fraternity/sorority that transcends inter-service rivalry and bad jokes. |
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