noun General Slang

pongo

· noun · military

Royal Navy/Marines nickname for a soldier — 'where the army goes, the pong goes'.

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Definitions

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What the Royal Navy and Royal Marines call a soldier — specifically a British Army squaddie. The line is 'where the army goes, the pong goes' — i.e. soldiers stink because they're stuck in the field without proper washing facilities, unlike sailors on a ship with showers.

“The matelots spent the whole run ashore winding up the pongos at the bar.”
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pongo In A Sentence

The matelots spent the whole run ashore winding up the pongos at the bar.

Origin & Usage

Royal Navy slang, late 19th/early 20th century. From the smell of unwashed soldiers on campaign vs sailors with shipboard plumbing.

Variants pongos

People Also Ask

What does pongo mean?

Pongo is a Royal Navy and Royal Marines nickname for a soldier in the army.

How do you use pongo in a sentence?

"A few pongos got attached to our unit for the exercise."

Where does the nickname pongo come from?

It comes from the old jibe "where the army goes, the pong goes," a dig at soldiers by naval personnel.

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