As with all armed forces throughout history, the French Grande Armée of the Napoleonic Wars used a colorful and extensive vocabulary of slang terms to describe their lives, times and circumstances and express their reactions towards them. This is a partial glossary article meant to supplement the articles on La Grande Armée and Military slang. Providing such information can greatly help the reader to understand and appreciate the lives of these soldiers. There are also a few terms included from the later Armée du Nord included here for the sake of interest and completeness.
A
; Abbaye-de-Sot-Bougre : the camp prison ; un abreuvoir à mouches : a deep gash in one's face ; L'Arme Blanche a cutting or thrusting weapon The cavalry, especially hussars and lancers. ; Les autres chiens : Austrians ; Avoir de la garnison : to have lice ; Avoir des engelures aux yeux : to be afraid during an attack ; avoir sa pente : to be a drinker.
B
; la bamboche : The Legion of Honour. ; un beau sabreur : a Hussar. ; la bouffarde : a short-stemmed pipe. ; briscard : a veteran campaigner. From the inverted chevron worn on the upper sleeve to indicate their veteran status. ; brise-muraille : artilleryman ; le brutal : Artillery. ; un bulletin : a liar
C
; Les Carabins : Surgeons. ; Le Casse-Poitrine : Strong drink. ; Les Céleris : Commissary officers. ; Le Chapeau : Napoleon Bonaparte. ; La charmante : mange/scabies ; Le Cheval Brutal : Horse artillery. ; La Côte de Boeuf : A sabre. ; Les Cousins de l'Empereur : Corsicans. ; Un Crâne : An experienced campaigner. ; Le Crucifix à Ressort : A pistol. ; Le Coucou : A French eagle. ; Le cul-de-singe : the round, red, insignia patch on a grenadier's bearskin cap ; Les Cupidons : Russian Bashkir archers
D
; La Débine : Poverty. ; Défiler en Parade : To die in battle. ; Déjeuner à la fourchette : a bayonet attack ; Descendre la Garde : To die in battle. ; Dur à cuire : An experienced campaigner. ; Dur Cormant : Beef.
E
; eaux-de-vie : gin or brandy; alcoholic drink, sold by Vivandières. ; embrassé par une demoiselle : wounded by a cannonball ; être mis aux mites : Jailed. ; être abîmé : To be wounded.
F
; Faire une Bosse : Eat well. ; La Fête : War. ; La flûte a gros bec : Artillery ; Un Frileux : A frightened soldier. ; Friser : A near miss.
G
; Génies : Military engineers ; Gilets de Fer : Cuirassiers. ; un gigot : an ugly or botched amputation ; Les Goddams : British infantry. ; Les Grands Chapeaux : Napoleon and his Marshals ; Les Grognards : Imperial Old Guards. ; Gros Talons : Grenadiers à Cheval of the Imperial Guard, also "les Géants" or "les Dieux"
H
; Heureux comme un poisson sur la paille : to be depressed ; Hypothèque : Be wounded.
I
; Les Immortels : Imperial Guardsmen.
J
; Le Jus de l'Arbre : Wine.
K
; Les Kaiserlicks : Austrian infantry.
L
; Lampion : Napoleon Bonaparte's cocked hat. Derived from the similar sounding "L'Empereur".
M
; Marchand de mort subite : the Master-at-Arms ; Marche à Regret : Conscript. ; Marche à Terre : Foot slogger. ; marcher à la queue au loup : a night march ; Marie-Louise : Enthusiastic but inexperienced conscript of the 1813-15 drafts. ; Mettre les Dents au Crochet : To be starving. ; Mettre sa vaisselle à l'air : Wearing one's medals ; La Mie de Pain : Fleas. ; Le mois de Napoléon : the thirteenth month of one's tour ; Les Musikos : Brothels. ; La Musique : War.
N
; La Noce : War.
O
; L'oiseau : A French eagle. ; On Déchire de la Mousseline : A Volley of Fire.
P
; Le Patron : Napoleon Bonaparte. ; peint à l'encaustique : an inexperienced hussar ; Le Petit Caporal : Napoleon Bonaparte. ; Le Petit Tondu : Napoleon Bonaparte. ; Les Pékins : Civilians. ; Piler du Poivre : Sentry duty. ; pousse-caillou : infantryman ; Pousser la botte au cochon : running one's sword through somebody's throat
Q
R
; Une Rafale : A frightened soldier. ; Le raisin : Blood. ; Riz-Pain-Sel : Commissary officers. ; Le Rogomme : Strong drink. ; Les Rosbifs : Englishmen or English soldiers. From their traditional ration of salted beef.
S
; Les sans-culottes : Radical left-wing partisans of the lower classes. They wore worker's pantaloons and socks rather than gentlemen's breeches and hose. ; Les Sauterelles : British riflemen, who wore green uniforms rather than the red uniforms issued to common British infantry. ; Le Sauve-la-Vie : Strong drink. ; la savate : an informal punishment where a soldier who had committed an infraction against his fellows was forcibly bent over and then kicked in the buttocks by his squadmates. Typical charges were for concealing small valuables or loot, badly preparing the squad's meal, straggling on the march, or arriving too late on the battlefield. Victims were sentenced to either the "thin" or the "fat" of the boot depending on the severity of the infraction. Using the "thin" part was kicking with the sole or side of the toe and using the "fat" part was stomping the target with the heel of the boot. ; Se faire laver les cheveux avec du plomb : to be executed by firing squad. ; Les soldats à la crème : Austrian troops.
T
; Teufels : Prussian infantry. ; Le Tondu : Napoleon ; Tourner de l'oeil : To die. ; Trouver : To steal. ; le trottoir à punaises : the ornamental fringe on a shako visor
