'Napoo', 'compray', 'san fairy ann', 'toot sweet' are anglicized French
phrases that came into use on the Western Front during the First World
War as British troops struggled to communicate in French. Over four
years of war they created an extraordinary slang which reflects the
period and brings the conflict to mind whenever it is heard today.
Julian Walker, in this original and meticulously researched book,
explores the subject in fascinating detail. In the process he gives us
an insight into the British soldiers' experience in France during the
war and the special language they invented in order to cope with their
situation.
He shows how French place-names were anglicized as were words for food
and drink, and he looks at what these slang terms tell us about the
soldiers' perception of France, their relationship with the French and
their ideas of home. He traces the spread of 'Tommy French' back to the
Home Front, where it was popularized in songs and on postcards, and
looks at the French reaction to the anglicization of their language.