Slang words for "airplane"?

Question

In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books using the word "kist" (lit. "chest" or "coffin", but actually slang for "plane"). The poster thought English likewise had such a slang word, I wasn't sure. Neither of us have seen the originals.

Exactly with what words are airplanes referred to in the Biggles books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of?

JRM

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books ... with what words are airplanes referred to in the Biggles books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of?[/nq]
It's a while since I read a Biggles book, but I'm sure that the main slang word used in them for an aircraft was "kite".

Matti

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(Email Removed) spake thus:
[nq:1]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books ... with what words are airplanes referred to in the Biggles books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of?[/nq]
The word you are looking for is "crate". It seems likely that this is used in the Biggles books, but I can't remember and I don't have time to rummage in the loft.

-- David ==

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books ... during WWII. I can't remember if it was in the Biggles books - haven't read them since the early 1950s![/nq]
--

wrmst rgrds Robin Bignall

Quiet part of Hertfordshire England

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[nq:1](Email Removed) spake thus:[/nq]
[nq:2]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with ... books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of?[/nq]
[nq:1]The word you are looking for is "crate". It seems likely that this is used in the Biggles books, but I can't remember and I don't have time to rummage in the loft.[/nq]
I'm sure both "kite" and "crate" were used in the books. My impression was that "kite" was neutral to fond, while "crate" was often used derogatively. I guess "crate" is more likely to have been the source for "kist", though.

This multilingual site may be useful for the OP: http://www.biggles.nl/

Matti

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On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 12:47:31 +0100, "Joost R. Meerten" (Email Removed) said:
[nq:1]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books ... with what words are airplanes referred to in the Biggles books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of?[/nq]
In the US after WWII, two popular low-end planes were Taylor Craft and Piper Cub. Some people called them "kites".
[nq:1]JRM[/nq]

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books ... what words are airplanes referred to in the Biggles books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of? JRM[/nq]
I'm not a Biggles expert (though "kite" sounds right to me - perhaps also "crate" but less respectfully ?). Makes of aircraft thought to be of dangerous design have sometimes been called "flying coffins" by newspapers. You might not know that the word "airplane" is usually North American usage (maybe specifically the USA - I'm not sure about Canada). The usual British word is "aeroplane" and the first syllable is pronounced in the same way. I believe both words were common in the early days of mechanised flight but I recall once reading in the OED that the US armed forces apparently decided to use one rather than the other around 1918. Like many transatlantic differences, this is not completely rigid. In that excellent film "Twelve O'Clock High" Gregory Peck plays an American Air Force officer based in England in WW2 and can be heard using both versions. Then there's the (American) pop song by the Boxtops which begins "Get me a ticket for an aeroplane, Ain't got time to take a fast train". There are some British people who are always keen to pick up on Americanisms, or else do so unconsciously, so I am sure "airplane" can be heard here too, but it isn't common.

Neil

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books ... what words are airplanes referred to in the Biggles books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of? JRM[/nq]
Kiste = Box

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with ... and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of? JRM[/nq]
[nq:1]Kiste = Box[/nq]
And there was actually an early British aircraft whose official name was the "Bristol Boxkite", which nicely ties in two answers that have been given.

-- Mike Stevens, narrowboat Felis Catus II Web site www.mike-stevens.co.uk No man is an island. So is Man.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]In a recent thread in nl.taal (the newsgroup concerned with the Dutch language), there was talk of translated Biggles books ... what words are airplanes referred to in the Biggles books, and are there slang synonyms we're not aware of? JRM[/nq]
As you probably know, the Dutch word "kist" is used much the same way as "crate" is used in English - as a fond but slightly disparaging slang term for for a less-than-new aircraft.

Less well known perhaps is the use in Dutch of the literal translation of "crate" (krat) as a perhaps slightly more disparaging term for the same thing. I am thinking in particular of a group of men who wryly called themselves "kratvliegers". These were Dutch expatriates who volunteered to fly with the allies when WWII broke out. (Canadians, South Africans, Autralians, Rhodesians, et al) many of who were assigned older equipment and/or flew low-risk or non-combat support missions due to the quality of their machines. Amongst others, many of these kratvliegers flew "bombing" missions over Holland dropping food supplies in the winter of 1945.

JItze

Slang words for "airplane"?

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