Squaddie makes Miss England final

[DavidDvorkin]

Source: BBC News

A female soldier who once fought off a suspected Iraqi insurgent has won a place in the final of Miss England.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7503061.stm

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I wonder what she'll do for the talent part of the competition.

[bananas]

1. Some photos here

http://englandsroses.blogspot.com/2008/04/katrina-hodge.html

[ben_meyers]

2. "Girls in beauty pageants talk about wanting world peace

but I'm out there trying to achieve peace for real."
That's a pretty good line, I always cringe when some "air headed" beauty pageant contestant gives the standard "work for world peace or end hunger" line.

Not that there is anything wrong with the thought, it just sounds so phony.

[undeterred]

3. Target shooting?

It would be fun to see her use some military skill.

[Vidar]

4. My hat's off to Ms. Hodge.

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DavidDvorkin]

6. Etymology of "squaddie"

A word that's long puzzled me:

Squaddie - a soldier. Commonly used mis-spelling of the word 'swaddy'. This derived from the days of the army in India when swaddies were irregular Indian troops used as 'cannon-fodder' and for fatigues.

It was also used by the British soldiers of themselves to indicate that they were being treated like swaddies, and this spelling and usage survived at least up until the Second World War in army circles (of the line from Hamish Henderson's famous song from the Sicily campaign Poor bloody swaddies are weary). This wasn't understood outside the military and was often mis-spelt 'squaddie', particularly in newspapers.



This is from Arsepedia: http://www.arrse.co.uk/wiki/Squaddie

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. The OED has it a little differently

Still with 'swaddy' as an influence, but it says that's nothing to do with India:


swad, n.2 (? Of Scand. origin: cf. Norw. dial. svadde big stout fellow.)

1. A country bumpkin; a clodhopper; a loutish or clownish fellow; a common term of abuse.
c1570 Misogonus II. ii. 6 Dost thou drinke all thy thrift thou swilbold swadd?

swad, n.5 (Perhaps the same word as SWAD n.2)

A soldier. Also swad-gill (GILL n.7 = fellow), swadkin.
1708 Mem. J(ohn) H(all) 10 Swad or Swadkin, a Soldier.

swaddy, n. (f. SWAD n.5 + -Y.)

A soldier. Now generally superseded by SQUADDIE.
1812 J. H. VAUX Flash Dict., Swoddy or Swod-gill, a soldier.

squaddie (f. SQUAD n.1 + -IE, perh. influenced by SWADDY n.)

A member of a squad; a private soldier; a recruit. Also transf.
1933 G. INGRAM Stir xvi. 254 You get the screws and squaddies to shoot at us! Why, you're{em}well mad, you are.

[DavidDvorkin]

11. Utterly different!

They shoulda stuck with Tommy Atkins. And Tammy Atkins, nowadays. Tommies and Tammies.

[paparush]

7. Ok, I'm totally down with this.

This woman deserves our support.

[DavidDvorkin]

8. Will any of the judges have the courage to vote against her?

[tblue37]

9. Didn't you see what Sandra Bullock did in

the talent competition in Miss Congeniality? She kicked ass--literally.

[Robb]

12. Ha!

"But the sniggering had stopped by the time she won a commendation for bravery after wrestling TWO rifles from an Iraqi prisoner in Basra after her land rover had rolled over three times in an accident."

...I predict an evening gown moment a la "Line of Fire": "I was wondering where you keep your gun." :D