noun General Slang

Motorized Freckles

/ˈmoʊtərˌaɪzd ˈfrɛkəlz/ · noun · slang

GI gallows humor for insects — the bugs and lice that plagued soldiers in the field.

0

Definitions

1

Soldier slang for flies, fleas, lice, and other insects that swarmed troops in camps and foxholes — a dark joke about specks that moved.

“The jungle camp was crawling with motorized freckles by week two.”
by community
0
2

Jokingly applied to bug infestations anywhere, even after the war.

“The cabin had a few motorized freckles, so we slept under nets.”
by community
0
3

Used for any pesky biting bug encountered in the field.

“Bring the netting or the motorized freckles will eat you alive.”
by community
0

Motorized Freckles In A Sentence

He spent the night swatting motorized freckles off his neck.
Tropical posts meant heat, mud, and motorized freckles around the clock.
We dusted the whole tent for motorized freckles before lights out.

Origin & Usage

U.S. military slang of the 1940s, a bleakly funny WWII term for the insects that tormented soldiers in the field. The 'freckles' were the bugs; 'motorized' captured that they crawled and flew.

Variants motorised freckles
Tags #1940s#wartime#swing#vintage#military#humor

People Also Ask

What does motorized freckles mean?

It's WWII soldier slang for insects — flies, lice, and fleas that crawled across the skin like freckles that moved.

Where did the term come from?

From U.S. GIs in the 1940s using dark humor to describe the bugs that plagued field conditions.

Why call them freckles?

Because the specks dotting a soldier's skin looked like freckles — only these ones moved.

Is it still used?

It's largely a period term now, kept alive mostly in WWII histories and veterans' memoirs.

Comments 0