Shanghai

As in “to shanghai someone” into doing something they don’t want to do. Meaning to coerce or kidnap.

Starting int he 1850’s the United State has a significant presence in China, mostly around the port of Shanghai. The port was the home of many, many bars and brothels that took in any number of American sailors. Unfortunately for many, the night of revelry turned into a morning of regrets as they found themselves alone and in the middle of nowhere, no money and no memory of how they got there or what concoction they drank to knock themselves out so soundly. Though waking up with an empty wallet and broke was not as bad as the other option.

Ships need sailors and they are not always picky about where they get them. When the money was gone it was not unusual for the unconscious men to be sold off to the highest bidder. So you may go to the bar the night before a crewmember of one ship, and wake up in the morning a crewman of another! And there was no recourse.

The first recorded use of “shanghai” as the kidnapping meaning came around 1860. That did not take long! So the next time you get blackout drunk and wake up in a strange place, just be glad it isn’t Shanghai!

Soldier

A solider is someone who serves in the armed forces, but the origin of the word is kind of neat.

The most direct connection for the origin we have is circa 1300 from the Old French soudier, “one who serves in the army for pay”.

That seems to connect to the Medieval Latin soldarius, which means literally “one having pay”. That Latin phrase seems to be the source of the Spanish term for soldier, solodado and the Italian soldato.

That Medieval Latin term can find its root in the Latin solidus, which the term for a Roman gold coin and means, “coin of thick or solid metal” or not of thin plate, you know solid. Yes, the odds are good that soldier can trace a line to the word solid. Pretty cool.

At least that is one theory. Here is the other…

During the Roman Empire men in the army were sometimes paid in salt The Roman word for salt was sal. This payment became known as a salary and gave rise to the phrases “worth his salt”

Sal in Latin eventually became solde in French and eventually became soldier. Again, one who serves in the army for pay. Or for a salary.

One more quick one. Ancient Romans enjoyed eating their greens with a little bit of  salt to bring out the flavor. Remember that the Roman word for salt was sal? Well that dish of vegetables with salt became known as salad.  Thank you Rome.

Sarcasm

Yes sarcasm the judicious employment of a biting wit. Bet you didn’t know that it also has a military origin.

The word is based on the Greek sarkasmos which means “flesh-tearing”. It was used in reference to a particularly brutal attack made on the battle field that involved wild hacking and slashing that tore and shredded the enemies flesh.

By the late 16th century the word shows up in English meaning a brutal and withering  verbal attack.

Blockade

Rather than just dig into the definition we thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A on this particular word.

What is a blockade?

A blockade is an effort to cut off supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally.

Is it legal during war?

Yes, but only if it is actually effective and the rights of neutrals are respected.

What is Blockade Running?

Simply put, efforts to get through a blockade to get supplies in or other things out.

Is it just a naval term?

It used to be but now it is possible to use aircraft to effect a blockade. In modern terms it is more about the results than the methods.

Has the United States ever been under a blockade?

Yes, during the American Revolution the British Navy was able to effectively cut off the American Colonies from outside trade. Some supplies did manage to slip through, thankfully.

Also during the War of 1812 by the British again. This one proved a little less effective due to the fledgling US Navy.

So has the United States  ever instituted a blockade on another country?

Oh yeah.

During the Mexican-American War (1846-48) the US instituted a blockade of the Mexican ports on the Pacific and Gulf Coast.

During the American Civil War (1861-65) the US set up a blockade of the Confederate States of America (the legality of this was often question by the European powers due to the fact that the Confederacy was never recognized as an actual nation.)

The Spanish-American War in 1898 saw the US blockading Puerto Rico and Cuba.

A blockade of Japan during WWII (1944-1945).  Wait a second. They were only blockaded for one year? Technically yes as a legal blockade could not be commenced against Japan until the US had undisputed control fo the area.

Technically the US was also involved in an air blockade (No Fly Zone) against Iraq (1991-2003) and was part of the NATO force that blockaded Yugoslavia (1993-1996)

Did I miss any?

Shavetail

In the US Army a “shavetail” is a new officer, usually a 2nd Lieutenant, who is fresh out of OCS (Officer Candidate School). Their distinctive short haircuts set them a prat from the more experienced officers. The term has come to be used to mean anyone who is inexperienced with their jobs.

It goes back to the days when the Army used pack animals, such as mules, to haul supplies. New animals would require some breaking in to be of much use, one that was accomplished the handlers would shave their tails. This let everyone know that they were new and set them apart from their more seasoned compatriots.

Basically, calling some a shavetail means use caution as they are new on the job.