Wagtail
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2013
- Messages
- 12,654
- Location
- St Helens, Tasmania, Australia
- Tractor
- JD 4105 / JD Z355E (48" deck)
In the electronics industry a "greenie" is a small slot-head screwdriver, so named because Xcelite ones have green handles. The phillips equivalent has a blue handle, so I suppose it could be called a "bluey".
"Greenie" is the Navy (RN, RCN, RAN, RNZN) slang word for anyone in the electrical/electronic trades. (not to be confused with a massive bow wave that comes over the bridge). Many don't know why they're called that, they just accept it.
Anyway, tradesmen have 'trade badges' to designate, at a glance, what they are specialised at doing... Officers generally don't. But they used to incorporate coloured bands between their stripes for this purpose. Navy Blue (or 'no band') = Seamanship/Gunnery/Command, White = Supply/Writer, Purple = Engineering, Red = Medical, Orange = Dental and Green = Electrical.
Today, only Red & Orange are still used. And 'Greenies' are called that due to the now unused colour of their Officers 'trade'.