Understanding 400 Year Old Pusser’s Slang

Many organizations have their own insider language/slang. The Royal Navy (RN)’s slang is as good as it gets. It travelled the world gathering inputs from the likes of the then exotic, now terribly dull, ports in countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Malta, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Gibraltar. With a few differences and unique words, the RN’s sister Navies - Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Australian Navy, Royal New Zealand Navy, and South African Navy spoke – and still speak – a similar dialect as part of the Commonwealth Navy bonds that still bind today.

The lexicon shows 350 instances of the different languages between RN speak and how a ‘civvy’ (civilian) might speak.