Gadget: An everyday word applied colloquially to any mechanical contrivance or detail, usually small and easily removable. Also, a makeshift, substitute word for anything, when the right word does not readily occur to a speaker. For instance, a man fumbling with the buckle of a strap might say he couldn't get "this gadget to work!"
Originally, a Navy word and then adopted in technical branches of the Army, and in the end becoming used universally. Probably derived from the French word Gâchette.[1]
References / notes
- ↑ Edward Fraser and John Gibbons (1925). Soldier and Sailor Words and Phrases. Routledge, London p.101.
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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