dirt Navy n. a part of a naval military force that does not serve at sea. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
dirt Navy n. a part of a naval military force that does not serve at sea. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
For rock climbers, skiers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, the word send has taken on a whole new meaning. You might cheer on a fellow snowboarder with Send it, bro! — and being sendy is a really great thing. Plus: a nostalgic trip to Willa...
Loretta in Shreveport, Louisiana, wants to know what lexical and dialectal clues linguists look for when guessing where someone is from. She also wonders: Do people with long careers in the military or who grew up in a military family have a...
This phrase has been around since I was active duty (1985-1989). As a mineman during that time period, we were called “Dirt Sailors” because we did not go to sea.
Thanks! Very useful. Do you have any written examples of the term from that period?
Nice to find myself cited! Yup, “Dirt Navy” was the phrase we always used for the ratings that did not serve on ships. Blue water, brown water, dirt or sand, I think I got to try all of them at one time or another.