To Click: To meet with good (or bad) luck. A word in universal use with every kind of meaning at the front in the war. To "click" might mean for instance, that a man had succeeded in something, had secured a good job, had made his advances or "got off with a girl," had got into trouble and been punished or had been wounded and even killed. An example would be "Poor old Tom got clicked by a sniper this morning."
"To click a Blighty" was a usual term for a wound which meant a man being sent to England. A possible derivation of the word is from the clicking or "engaging" of wheels in machinery. [1]
With a click: Smartly. A phrase adopted in allusion to a drill-ground word of command that in certain exercises the heels should come together with a "click" which was parodied variously. For instance, someone showing pleasure at getting good news, "His ears went back with a click." [1]
References / notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.58.
Glossary of words and phrases
The above term is listed in our glossary of words and phrases of the Armed Forces of Great Britain during the Great War. Included are trench slang, service terms, expressions in everyday use, nicknames, the titles and origins of British and Commonwealth Regiments, and warfare in general. These words and phrases are contemporary to the war, which is reflected in the language used. They have been transcribed from three primary sources (see Contents). Feel free to expand upon and improve this content.
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