Halley Bay Fids' Slang
compiled by Ken Lax for the Z-50 "Big Smoko"
Just for a bit of fun here are just a few slang words that I have put together from memory.
Obviously, therefore, they represent only the years that I was either on board the Bransfield,
at Halley Bay or at BAS HQ. (1973 - 1978)
Some words can be traced to military origins and some to radio shows. Perhaps the best example is SPON.
This seems to have enjoyed wide FID use and the only known reference is to the Goons.
In the Goons, however, the meaning is unclear e.g. "I've been sponned, from the film of the same name" - Bluebottle
or "Send for my spon runner" - Major Bloodnock.
It would be interesting to see if we can trace down the origin of some of these expressions.
A
Animal Corner - section of dining table where engineers sit (see comment)
B
Beastie - ionospheric sounder
Beastie man - ionosphericist
Bleg - imperfection. Usually referred to foreign bodies on photographic prints
Blatt - snap shot
Bog Chisel - crevasse probe
Bondu - ice sheet
Brown Poultice - fart
C
Chip - bay area in the ice cliffs accessed by a ramp
Chocolate box - kitch photograph. Type that would appear on a chocolate box.
Clatch - personal possessions
Crud - emulsified evaporated milk
D
Dingle - clear weather (see comment)
Doccy - documentary film
E
Ekky - Ektachrome film
Electric Soup - wine
F
Firkle - sort through something or just mess around
G
Gash - domestic duties
Gonk - sleep
Gomble - ice accretion, usually on beard
Goon Show - field party/ship radio schedule
Gristy - crunchy snow
H
Hash Maghandi - unusual mixture of food made into a hash (see comment)
Honk - vomit
I
J
K
Killer pillocks - measure of energy used
L
Lob - donate (as in lob a crate of beer behind the bar)
Lurker - hidden element. Animate or inanimate.
M
Mank (manque?) - overcast
N
Nutty - chocolate bar or dog food
O
P
Pseuds Corner - part of dining room where "intellectuals" sat. Opposite of animal corner
Q
R
S
Scradge (Scradje) - meal
Ski jore - person towed on skis, usually by vehicle
Smoko - tea break
Splode - ubiquitous use. E.g. Splode features. A splode. Equivalent to "thingy" when used about an inanimate object (see comment)
Spon - set back. Mega spon is a major setback. (see comment)
T
Three ringer - large volume of urine in chicken tin. Restricted to field use since the empty chicken tin was used as a urinal when weather was too bad (or FID too lazy) to leave the tent.
Turdicle - accumulation of faeces in lavatory pit.
Torrey Canyon - when a member of animal corner puts oily finger into the gravy.
Thirks - thighs
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
[15 June 2007]
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