Entry in progress—B.P.
Wiktiuonary: pogey bait
Etymology
Related to pogue (“soldier assigned administrative rather than combat duties”).
Noun
pogey bait (uncountable)
1. (US, military, slang) Snacks, candy, and similar food items that are not generally available to soldiers in the field.
Wikipedia: Pogue
Pogue is American pejorative military slang for non infantry staff, and other rear-echelon or support units. “Pogue” frequently applies to those who do not have to undergo the risk and stresses of combat as the infantry does.
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Due to having lost contact with its linguistic source, and possibly to avoid embarrassing civilians who might ask, the modern military vernacular has turned “pogue” into a retronym/backronym, e.g., Personnel Other than Grunts, Permanently On Garrison, Person On Ground with Unused Equipment, or Person Of Greater Use Elsewhere, the latter referring to mid-grade and senior military personnel who may have been trained/qualified/experienced as combat specialists (e.g., infantry, combat engineers, armor, special operations forces, fighter and bomber pilots, etc.), but who have been assigned to rear echelon staffs, especially senior command staffs.
“Pogey bait” is a reference to sweets or candy, which was in usage in the military as early as 1918. The term alludes to food (and other luxuries) rarely afforded to grunts in the field. To an infantry soldier, the term “pogey bait”, when used, in the possessive sense (i.e. “my pogey bait”, “his pogey bait”, etc.) refers to a personally acquired (not issued) stash of snacks and food. Common items found in a bag of “pogey bait” include Ramen Noodles, hard candies (i.e. Werther’s Originals, Jolly Ranchers, Dum Dums, etc.), Beef Jerky, Easy Cheese, and Vienna Sausages (among other things). “Pogey bait” was/is used “in the field” not only as snacks and meal supplements, but also for bartering (commonly either for other food or for tobacco products). “Pogey-bait run” was used as early as the 1960s to refer to any unauthorized violation of restrictions with the purpose of meeting a wife or girlfriend.
(Oxford English Dictionary)
pogey bait, n.
Etymology: Origin uncertain and disputed. Perhaps <
pogy n. + bait n.1, but numerous alternative etymologies have also been suggested. Compare also pogue n.3 and quots. 1949 at pogue n.3, 1953 at pogue n.3 1 at that entry.
U.S. Military slang (originally Navy).
Candy, sweets; a civilian snack.
1918 L. E. Ruggles Navy Explained 88 While going through the war zone, the pockets are used for ciggies and poggy bait.
1953 M. Dibner Deep Six xv. 154 A candy bar’s called poguey-bait.
1970 Esquire Nov. 116 Pogie bait is any snack that is not prepared..in a government mess-hall.
Google Books
Grimhaven
By Robert Joyce Tasker
New York, NY: A. A. Knopf
1928
Pg. 59:
“Pogey bait?” he whispered.
Google Books
Follow Me!:
The Story of the Second Marine Divison of World War II
By Richard W. Johnston
New York, NY: Random House
1948
Pg. 7:
To its rival outfits within the division, the Sixth Regiment was the “Pogey Bait” Sixth-a nickname acquired in the Thirties when, according to legend, its members while enroute to Shanghai bought several thousand bars of “Pogey bait” (candy) and only two cakes of soap from the ship’s stores.
Google Books
A Guide to the United States Naval Academy
By the Writers’ Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Maryland
New York, NY: The Devin-Adair Company
1941
Pg. 152:
POGEY BAIT-Candy.
Urban Dictionary
pogey bait
The Marines in China before WW II were issued candy (Baby Ruths, Tootsie Rolls, etc.) as part of their their ration supplements. At the time, sugar and other assorted sweets were rare commodities in China and much in demand by the Chinese, so the troops found the candy useful for barter in town.
The Chinese word for prostitute, roughly translated, is “pogey”. Thus, Marines being Marines, candy became “Pogey Bait”.
Platoon leaders should control the use of pogey-bait and non-issue food.
by Ninefingers October 22, 2003
AR15.com
military guys WTF is Pogey bait??
Tanker06
Posted: 6/2/2004 8:19:07 AM EST[Last Edit: 6/2/2004 8:22:55 AM EST by Tanker06]
Non-military food… your personal munchies…. chips, cookies, soda, etc…..
Cigarettes if you’re a smoker, dip, etc….
guardian855
Posted: 6/2/2004 8:23:37 AM EST
From my understanding, a Pogue is someone in the rear like a supply clerk or admin clerk. Someone who gives the front line soldiers a hard time and whose unofficial job is to be as unhelpful to a front line soldier as possible. So you need snacks like chips, cookies, candy, whatever to bribe the Pogue to do what you need. Hence it’s called Pogey bait.