Page 5 - eMuse Vol.9 No.11
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staffed  with  highly  skilled   RACT:    Royal  Australian  Corps   to sickness .  Using sick leave .     warders,  as  by  informing,
          professionals.             of  Transport.      Motto  “Par   Often not genuine.   and receives privileges . 5
                                     Oneri” (Equal to the Task) .
          But  still  the  derogatory                                                    Sin Chin San: Chinese for Aus-
          names  persist:  Bait-layers,   RADAR: an acronym from “Ra-                      tralia .
          Babbling  Brook,  Tucker   dio Detection and Ranging.”                         Sinn  Féin:    An  Irish  political
          F***er, etc .  Although   Raddle:    To  mark  a  sheep  for                     party  formed  in  1905.    It’s
          “Chef” is probably more ap-  identification.    Often  be-                       aims are Irish independence
          propriate  it is rarely  heard .    cause  it  was  badly  shorn.                and cultural development .
          The  motto  of  the  Corps  is   Sometimes used to identify
          “we sustain.”              ewes mated.                                           The  political  wing  of  the
                                                                                           IRA  (Irish  Republican  Army
                                   Shiny bum:  A white collar work-                        Check  historic  Australian
                                     er.    The  inference  suggests    Sickle             link with its origin.).  Gaelic
                                     the seat of the pants is shiny   Sickle:    An  implement  for  cut-  Irish for “We Ourselves”.
                                     from long periods of time sit-  ting  grain,  grass,  etc.,  con-  Sir  Garneo:    In  perfect  order;
                                     ting.  It is intended as derog-  sisting of a curved hook like   satisfactory.  Okay.  From a
                                     atory.    The  inference  being   blade in a short handle, aka   corruption of all Sir Garnet,
                                     those  who  do  hard  physical   “reaping hook”.
                                     labour are the real workers.                          an earlier expression named
                                                              Side saddle:  A saddle on which   after  Sir  Garnet  Wolseley
                                   Shipnick:    Stealing ships,  e .g .,   the rider sits with both feet   (1833-1913),   Commander
                                     the  Cypress  Mutiny  1829.                           in Chief of the British army
           Royal Australian Corps of   Convicts  attempted  several   on the same (usually the left)   from 1895-1899.
               Miltary Police        such  escapes  from  early   side of the horse, and is used
        RACMP:  Royal Australian Corp   Australian  penal  colonies .    chiefly by women.   Sir Joshua Windbag (Nautical)   A
          of Military Police.  Previous-  They  attempted  to  steal     Attitudes of the Victorian era   pompous, veracious person .
          ly  known  as  the  Australian   ships (shipnicking)  and  sail   dictated  it  was  unlady  like   Sitrep:  (Military)  =  Situation
          Army  Provost  Corps,  it  was   to freedom.  Most attempts   for women to ride straddled   Report. X
          formed  on  3  April  1916  as   failed  but  some  were  suc-  across the horses back as
          the ANZAC Provost Corps.   cessful                    with a conventional saddle.   Six  forty:    A  free  selection  in
                                                                                           New South Wales.  Their size
                                   Shoes:  See “Trotting Harness.”  Sigarno:  See “Sir Garneo”.  depended  on  which  pre-
                                   Shook:  Stolen; disturbed .   Sight:  To tolerate;  to permit;   federation Australian colony
                                                                also to see; observe .     they were in, e.g., in Victoria
                                   Shook on:  Infatuated.                                  they  were  320  acre  and  in
                                                              Signalese:  The phonetic alpha-  New South Wales they were
                                   Shoneen: An over-smart would   bet.    (A  standard  system  of   640 acres (hence the name) .
                                     be  gentleman;  a  term  of   words  which  represent  let-  (640 acres = 1 square mile) .
                                     contempt. (Irish origin.)   ters of the alphabet, e.g., Al-
                                   Shout:    To  pay  for  a  round  of   pha, Bravo, Charlie are used     Rules  for  being  granted  a
        Royal Australian Corps of Signals                                                  free  selection  also  varied.
                                     drinks  for  the  group.    Each   instead of a, b, c.  Many dif-  Free  selections  were  of-
        RACS:    Royal  Australian  Corps   person  usually  takes a turn   ferent  versions  have  been
          of Signals is responsible for   in a session . Also to simply   used  since  its  invention  in   ten made off maps without
                                                                                           viewing the land.
          installing,  maintaining  and   but something for some one   1886.)
          operating  all  types  of  tele-  else .            Silent  Death:    The  practice  of     As expected, this, in compa-
          communications equipment   Shin  and  tendon  Boots:  See   waiting quietly at night in no   ny with many other reasons,
          and information systems.   “Trotting Harness”.        man’s land for the advent of   often  led  to  unproductive
          The  Corps  motto  is  “Certa                         a German patrol . The patrol   selections destined to fail.
          Cito”  and  is  translated  as   Shrapnel:  Fragments of metal   was  then  dispatched  hand-  Disclaimer:   In this  series in-
          “Swift and Sure.”  The image   from  an  explosive  device   to-hand  as  quickly  and  si-  tolerable and racist speak
          on the badge is Mercury an-  such  as  artillery  or  mortar   lently as possible by the use   may  turn  up  from  time  to
          cient  Roman  messenger  of   shells,  hand  grenades,  and   of  trench  knives.    Much  fa-  time.    Such  words  are  not
          the gods.  Nick name: More-  IED’s  (Improvised  Explosive   voured by the Canadians.   necessarily the editor’s view.
          ton Bay Figs .             Devices),  etc.    From  Gen-                         They  are  presented  merely
                                     eral  Henry  Shrapnel  (1761-  Silent Percy:  Artillery piece fir-
                                     1842),  the  English  army  of-  ing at such long range that it   as  facts  which  sometimes
                                                                                           show  biased  attitudes  from
                                     ficer who invented it during   could not be heard .
                                     the Peninsular War.      Silent  Susan:    High-velocity  ar-  another era.
                                   Shrapnel:  Coins, small change   tillery shell.          We should look at our histo-
                                                                                            ry as it actually was without
                                     often of low value.      Silver Bodgie:  A nickname for   sanitising it to suit our own
                                   Shuck:  To crack open (an oys-  Bob  Hawke,  Australia’s  23rd   sensibilities.  This will hope-
                                     ter) with a knife and remove   Prime  Minister  (1983  —   fully  show  up  racism  and
                                     the mollusc .              1991)                       other evils to be the abomi-

                                   Shyin’:  Excellent; desirable .   Silvertail:  Wealthy, elite .   nation they really are.
           Royal Australian Corps of
                  Transport        Sickie:  A day or so off work due   Silvertail:  A prisoner who helps
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