Tell Techno.

Started by Techno, 22 August 2018, 01:30:39 PM

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FierceKitty

And the Grey Musketeers were a cavalry regiment; the SYW Austrian musketeers were called fusiliers, while few grenadiers still used grenades; I understand the 10th hussars are a tank unit now, and of course Poland's famous hussars were heavier than some knights have been; Napoleon had "foot cuirassiers" (not wearing armour); the US has "cavalry" in helicopters; dragoons, hastati and principes, renaissance French "archers"; Hellenistic peltasts may have been part of the phalanx; many so-called destroyers are bigger than cruisers these days....

You're looking for a logical and coherent narrative in military matters?  ;D
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fsn

My favourite is: A Major is a higher rank than a lieutenant (pronounced left-tenant), but a major-general is lower than a lieutenant-general.

My understanding is that in the days of clip-clop-bang-ffttt (about the C17 to those who aren't with modern period naming conventions) a major general was a sergeant-major-general, and so came below the lieutenant-general. At some point they must have thought that the sergreant-major-general sounded a bit silly (probably when Gilbert and Sullivan couldn't make it scan) and so the sergeant bit was dropped.

Am I correct? Do I win my prize?

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Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

Yes for once you got it right Nobby.
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Leman

That has also answered something that has been puzzling me for a while.
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FierceKitty

Quote from: fsn on 20 September 2018, 06:04:34 PM
My favourite is: A Major is a higher rank than a lieutenant (pronounced left-tenant), but a major-general is lower than a lieutenant-general.



It's a lootenant, ya Limey faggot!
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Lord Kermit of Birkenhead

Danmed foreiners, ITS OUR BLOODY LANGUAGE
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FierceKitty

The Yanks are speaking something closer to the original than you lot are these days.
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Leman

Who cares what they speak - it's most definitely American and not English.
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d_Guy

I'm still curious how anyone gets "F" out of "ieu". Of course you lot do get Fanshaw out of Featherstonhaugh so all things are possible.
As Kitty suggests, in the rural mountains of my birth we are said to still speak something akin to Elizabethan English. In fact if you read aloud Shakespeare in my former dialect it come out rather well.  :)
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Leman

Dead simple mate - the English hate pronouncing French correctly. You don't go to war with a country for centuries and then suddenly forget about it.
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Leman

Murcky buckets for that Lem.
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Techno

Today's question.

I know what an epaulette is...(I think)...But is there another name for the 'big epaulette' that's more of 'cap' on the shoulder and the very upper arm of a soldier.
From ones I've seen they're usually slightly ornate.

Hope that makes sense.

Cheers - Phil

sunjester

My understanding is that they are all epaulettes, whether plain or very ornate with bullion braiding.

Leman

Omlettes are very nice as well, despite being French. I bet Ian even likes an omelette now and then.
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