What if you could talk to someone who lived at the time of the Civil War? You probably would have a hard time understanding some things. Below is a list of words and phrases used during the Civil War, followed by their meanings. Where do the terms come from? Which ones are still in use? What new words do we use today that mean the same thing?

1. chief cook and bottle washer -- person capable of doing many things
2. sheet-iron crackers -- hardtack
3. sardine box -- cap box
4. bread basket -- stomach
5. greenbacks -- money
6. graybacks -- Southern soldiers; lice
7. Arkansas toothpick -- large knife
8. pepperbox -- pistol
9. Zu-Zu -- Zuoave soldier
10. fit to be tied -- angry
11. has horse sense -- is smart or on the ball
12. top rail #1 -- first class
13. hunkey dorey -- great!
14. greenhorn, bugger, skunk -- officer
15. snug as a bug -- comfortable, cozy
16. sawbones -- surgeon
17. skedaddle -- run, scatter
18. hornets -- bullets
19. bully -- hurrah! yeah!
20. possum -- a buddy or pal
21. blowhard -- big shot
22. fit as a fiddle -- in good shape, healthy
23. uppity -- conceited
24. scarce as hen's teeth -- rare
25. grab a root -- have dinner; eat a potato
26. tight, wallpapered -- drunk
27. bark juice, tar water -- liquor
28. nokum stiff, joy juice -- liquor
29. hard case -- tough person
30. bluff -- cheater
31. jailbird -- criminal
32. hard knocks -- beaten up
33. been through the mill -- done a lot
34. quick-step -- diarrhea
35. played out -- worn out
36. toeing the mark -- doing the job
37. Jonah -- bad luck
38. goobers -- peanuts
39. Sunday soldiers, kid glove boys, parlor soldiers -- insulting words for soldiers
40. fresh fish -- raw recruits
41. whipped -- beaten

Sources: The Life of Johnny Reb and The Life of Billy Yank by Bell Irwin Wiley
courtesy of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior