Author: Royal Marines Isle of Wight Branch Secretary
An ex-coal miner from the Rhondda Valley, yes I'm Welsh and we were poor. It's what you make of your life afterwards that matters. You can't live in the past. Joined the Royal Marines in 66 Left 88. A great life in the RM and a good run ashore. It taught me among many other things that you have to think for yourself. But to have the sense to grasp better ideas. Not to reinvent the wheel. To adapt quickly.
I believe that I was unemployable on demob; so I became self-employed. What I had learned in the military served me well in business. Going into Video Filming, Photography, Running a 1 Hour PhotoShop, Picture Framing. You name it, I tried to sell it. Now retired life is slower, and a lot quieter. I think we all miss the old days. When we were young we thought we were indestructible. Now we can't jump off a 6ft wall though climb it.
It should be noted that this site is privately funded and no RMA funds have been used. It is still under construction, using the most inexpensive plan available.
Constructive feedback is important to us. This will hopefully improve our site for all. This site is maintained by the Branch Secretary: Terry Goodwin.
The Royal Marines are some of the toughest and most skilled fighters on the planet, bound together by a heart-warming sense of camaraderie.
Throughout the corps’ 350-year history, commandos – or bootnecks as they’re affectionately known – have established their own customs and traditions, along with an intriguing vocabulary to match.
Beasting: Give someone a hard time; physically thrash someone
Bite: To get someone on a bite; to kid somebody
Bone: Someone who is stupid
Chad: Really rubbish; you’re dress sense is chad
Common dog: Common sense; again can be amplified using F*ck – use your common dog f*ck
Devil dodger: Padre
Dhobi: To wash yourself or your clothes
Dit: A story
Drip: To moan about something or someone
Eyebrows: To confirm the genuine dit; if it is proved wrong the instigator of the ‘gen dit’ loses his eyebrows
Flash: To lose your temper
Foofoo powder: Being Welsh this will come as a shock!! It means foot powder!!
Gen dit to: Say this really is true; gen dit, I heard that…normally followed in response by eyebrows?
Goffer: This has three meanings; cold drink, big wave or to hit someone
Gopping: Disgusting; that person was turbo gopping
Hanging out: Very tired
Hoofing: Good, quality
Honking: Dirty, horrible; can be used to describe a person or item
Icers: Very cold; icers goffer
Minging: Very drunk, can also be used to describe someone who is horrible; he/she is a minger
Mucker: Good mate
Nutty: Sweets, chocolate
Pongo: Someone from the Army; where the Army goes, the pong goes
Ping: To ‘volunteer’ someone
Proffers: A long term loan of an item using dubious methods (not from an individual but from the stores etc)
Queens: Same meaning as eyebrows; cannot be disrespected and if questioned with ‘eyebrows’ or ‘queens’ the truth must be told
Redders/red pigs: Really hot; I am Harry red pigs
Run Ashore: A night out on the town
Sippers: To share a drink; give us sippers mucker
Snap one off: Ask Ceri!!
Swamp: Urinate
Threaders: Not happy; again can be used with Turbo ie turbo threaders, really hacked off
Turbo: Used to amplify ‘Hoofing; i.e turbo hoofing; not to be beaten, the very best
Royal Marines Association. Isle of Wight. 