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Sunday, 6 July 2014

'Not a sausage' - WW2 technical term?

The RAF is renowned for spawning a multitude of its own slang sayings.

The phrase 'not a sausage' – meaning -' nothing at all' supposedly derives (or so www.urbandictionary would have us believe) from cockney rhyming slang – 'sausage and mash' : cash. To my mind this doesn't sound quite right. I much prefer the version presented to me by one of my glass clients last week.

Sally's mother was a wartime WAAF whose explanation for the phrase 'not a sausage' stemmed from interpreting a radar screen display. If a contact appeared on her screen it would be a sausage shaped image - no contact – no sausage.

So - 'what can you see?' - 'can't see a sausage sir!'

More Archives

Air To Air Rockets

Lancaster At War

The Bravest Man

Bombing Facts

Propaganda

Care Free Times

If you wish to comment on a post from my archive

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