Australian soldiers are informally known as "Diggers," a term originating from the gold rushes and solidified in World War I for their skill in digging trenches, while the historic name for the combined Australian and New Zealand forces is "ANZAC" (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps). Other informal terms include "Aussies," and Reserve soldiers are sometimes called "Chocos," but Digger and ANZAC are the most iconic, carrying immense national pride.
After New Zealanders objected to the colonial catch-all of 'Australasia', the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps became the official name, quickly shortened to ANZAC. But their informal name was the Diggers. The first specialised use of digger in Australian English dates back to the 1850s gold rush in Victoria.
ANZAC as an acronym
As well as referring to specific units, the term ANZAC also came to refer to soldiers themselves: originally those who participated in the Gallipoli landings, then all Australians and New Zealand soldiers in WWI and now more broadly to all Australian and New Zealander defence personnel.
Made up of the Navy, Army, and Air Force, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is one of Australia's major employers. The Royal Australian Navy's expertly trained personnel operate advanced ships and aircraft to protect Australia's interests.
redcoat. enlisted man (US) man-at-arms. squaddie or squaddy (British, slang)
The Army and Marine infantry are often called 'grunts' or 'knuckle draggers. ' Those who aren't grunts are Persons Other Than Grunts – or POGs.
The smallest unit in an army is the squad, which contains 7 to 14 soldiers and is led by a sergeant. (A slightly larger unit is a section, which consists of 10 to 40 soldiers but is usually used only within headquarters or support organizations.)
The word Digger has been around since the early days of the gold rush in Australia and anecdotally there is evidence that some Colonial Australians were given the nickname Digger because of their mining endeavours. Even earlier, in the 1600's, Shakespeare referred to British Diggers and others in a military scenario.
In the Australian Army, a signaller is often referred to as a Chook (Australian Slang for Chicken) by soldiers outside the Signal Corps, because the Morse code used by Signallers has been likened to the chirping of chickens.
In Australia, the spelling is always Lieutenant, but the pronunciation varies by service: the Army and Air Force (RAAF) use the British "lef-tenant" (/lɛfˈtɛnənt/), while the Navy (RAN) uses the American "loo-tenant" (/luːˈtɛnənt/), reflecting different service traditions. The "leftenant" pronunciation comes from historical French roots and British tradition, but the "lootenant" is also common in the US, with the RAN adopting it.
There is no rule or law that indicates how the word 'Anzac' should be capitalised. For example, DVA only uses 'ANZAC' when referencing the Corps itself, and uses 'Anzac' in all other circumstances. The Australian War Memorial (AWM) generally uses 'ANZAC', given its focus on historical records and memorabilia.
From what I know they are camp nicknames. Digger is just referring someone who digs earth but could mean dig other things like gossips or tattle tales or even a derogatory slang of being less than human.
Many Army divisions have over the years earned nicknames. Sometimes, the nicknames themselves have overshadowed the actual name of the division, such as the "Screaming Eagles" for the 101st Airborne Division.
Another classic case of Australians shortening everything. Meaning 'thank you', ta is usually used for the times when you are in a rush or want to send a quick text to show your appreciation for something.
On an edgier note, pineapple is also military slang for a bomb or hand grenade, especially those of a fragmentation type that resemble a pineapple in appearence. Pineapples have even been in the news lately.
Infantry are sometimes called "grunts" in the United States Army (as the well as in the U.S. Marine Corps) or "squaddies" (in the British Army). U.S. Army artillery crews, or "gunners," are sometimes referred to as "redlegs", from the service branch colour for artillery.
Common Australian slang for a girl includes "Sheila" (older, sometimes dated or slightly derogatory), "chick," or just using general terms like "mate," "gal," or "lass," with context and tone being important, but "girl" is still widely used; some slang, like "moll," can refer to a girlfriend or a promiscuous woman, while "bogan" describes an unsophisticated person.
Basically, “chicken” refers to someone who's too frightened to do something risky. X Research source. Rather than saying, “You're such a coward!” someone may say, “You're such a chicken!” A 🐔 can be added to a message to convey these feelings.
**Have a Chuck**: This colloquial term refers to vomiting.
Digger is a military slang term for primarily infantry soldiers from Australia and New Zealand.
Here are 5 common Aussie slang words/phrases: G'day (hello), Mate (friend), Arvo (afternoon), No worries (no problem/you're welcome), and Barbie (barbecue), with many Aussies shortening words (like Brekkie for breakfast, Servo for gas station) and using colourful terms for everyday things.
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 100–250 soldiers and usually commanded by a major or a captain.
Company. A company is part of a battalion and usually consists of between 100 and 150 soldiers. They are usually lettered A through to D, and made up of at least two platoons. But sometimes they have names, such as 'Grenadier Company' or 'Fire Support Company'. Companies are commanded by a major or a captain.