The nom de guerre were adopted by members of the French Resistance during World War II for security reasons. These pseudonyms are often adopted by soldiers of special military units such as members of the SAS and other similar units, resistance fighters, terrorists and guerrillas. This practice hides their identity and can protect their families from reprisals; It can also be a form of estrangement from domestic life. Some well-known men who took the nom de guerre are Carlos the Jackal, for Ilich Ramírez Sánchez; Willy Brandt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany; and Subcomandante Marcos, spokesman for the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN). [ref. During Lehi`s clandestine struggle against the British in Mandatory Palestine, the organization`s commander, Yitzhak Shamir (later Prime Minister of Israel), adopted the nom de guerre « Michael » in honor of Irishman Michael Collins. Revolutionaries and resistance leaders such as Lenin, Trotsky, Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque and Josip Broz often adopted their proper names after the battle. George Grivas, the Greek Cypriot EOKA fighter, adopted the nom de guerre Digenis (Διγενής). In the French Foreign Legion, recruits can adopt a pseudonym to break with their past life.
Mercenaries have long used « nom de guerre », sometimes even multiple identities, depending on the country, conflict and circumstances. These sample phrases are automatically selected from various online information sources to reflect the current use of the word « nom de guerre ». The views expressed in the examples do not represent the views of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us your feedback. Originally, a nom de guerre was literally its English translation: « Name of War ». From about the fifteenth century, recruits to the French army were given official battle names, usually referring to their hometowns or a physical feature that functioned as identification numbers. Today, a nom de guerre is mostly a misnomer that you use in a particular situation or role. In the France of the Ancien Régime, a nom de guerre (French for « nom de guerre ») was adopted by each new recruit (or assigned to him by the captain of his company) when he enlisted in the French army. These pseudonyms had an official character and were precursors of identification numbers: soldiers were identified by their first names, surnames and battle names (for example Jean Amarault dit Lafidélité). These pseudonyms generally referred to the place of origin of the soldier (e.g. Jean Deslandes dit Champigny, for a soldier coming from a town called Champigny) or for a specific physical or personal characteristic (e.g.
Antoine Bonnet dit Prettaboire, for a soldier ready to drink, ready to drink). In 1716, a nom de guerre was prescribed for each soldier; The officers did not adopt battle names, as they considered them pejorative. In everyday life, these aliases could replace the real last name. [1] Nom de guerre is now ordinary French for a pseudonym – it is used in many contexts where a more specific term would be used in English. A nom de guerre is a misnomer (or pseudonym) that you use for a specific task or job. If you are a member of a roller derby team, you can take the fighter name « Dora the Destroyer ». Needless to say, if you get a call sign and you don`t like it, you have to keep in mind that the complainant is always wrong and you can always get a worse one. This nickname may refer directly to the person who has it, or it may be an ironic nickname, or it may refer to a pasta incident or other notable experience the person has had with their friends. Related to known only by their nickname and code name. Supertrope to Red Baron, where the nickname in question is widely known due to the famous (or feared) effectiveness of the character on the battlefield. Mustache De Plume is a variant that borders on Sweet Polly Oliver.
Also serves as a joke in many of these cases, making it clear to strangers that there are things these guys know about each other that the others don`t. When a soldier or agent has a name but is regularly addressed by a nickname instead. Especially common with pilots for a variety of reasons. The name Trope comes from French and is translated into English as nom de guerre. There are several reasons why they might do this. If they are members of a secret organization or cannot be completely sure that their communications are secure, they can use these alternative names to prevent their identity from being discovered by spies. Or maybe a lot of people share a name; It makes it clear who you are talking to or who you are talking to. Such a nickname can be used to indicate inclusion in a circle of close friends or other group. Beginners to the organization may not evaluate a nickname or be burdened with generic names such as New Guy #1 or New Guy #2. Adopted name under which a person is involved in the fight.
(by WordCraft) The truth on television for many organizations, especially for the aeronautical branches of the armed forces, where these nicknames are called « call signs » and also help with the brevity of the news (depending on the equipment used, when a guy speaks, no one else can leave the channel) and avoid confusion (in combat or for that matter, in any relatively complicated flight operation such as formation flight or even just landing in an airport). It is very important that everyone knows who needs to fly on a certain heading or move in a certain direction.