The Pink Chit

[Roland Pulfrew]

Gents

Just been trying to expain the term "a pink chit" to one of my mates down the pub. He asked where the term stems from and I (sadly and with complete shame) could not tell him!!:confused:

Does anyone know the origins of the "pink chit"?

[ImageGear]

One scenario:

In my experience of the US corporate world, the pink slip (chit?) was the redundancy notice, it was usually handed out midweek after an invitation to the company cafeteria after which one was firmly escorted from the building. (It really was Pink ,and I believe also a formal social security document)

The decision to hand them out midweek was to avoid too many weekend suicides resulting from stewing on the grim situation.

(The other reaction was to come back to the company guard shack with an array of firepower and attempt to blow everyone away from the CEO down. (Picture Rambo amock in a company carpark)

Exciting times, imagegear

[An Teallach]

I always thought it was just because the Services used to issue chits for everything (excused boots etc.). Permission to go out unaccompanied on the razz with the boys was called a pink chit because it was issued by OC Home Front (her indoors for the uninitiated).

[2Old2Care]

The gnarled ancients of my father's (early post-war National Service) generation told me years ago that the term comes from the colour of the chit you had to get indicating that you had permission to be off base.

That's the explanation I give to bemused junior colleagues - I got so used to hearing it from adults when growing up, I'm still using it.

Hope it isn't really a reference to some form of medical certificate.....

[Bigtop]

It's origins are in the Navy.
It was the colour of the formal warning issued to Jack when he came across the brow the worse for drink. Next offence and he would be at XO's table. It is now used as an expresssion to denote the prior knowledge, and thus the advance issue of the chit, of 'er in doors expecting the Old Man to come home three sheets to the wind.

I'll get me coat!!

[MajorMadMax]

From Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_slip)...

The term pink slip dates to 1915. It is the practice, by a personnel department, of including a discharge notice (printed on pink paper) in an employee's pay envelope notifying the worker of his or her termination or lay-off. Originally the color of the paper had no particular significance.

My knowledge of the term 'pink slip' goes back to the days of drag racing, where the registration (and therefor ownership) of cars were waged. In some states, the registration document was pink, hence the slang.

Cheers! M2

[Roland Pulfrew]

Thanks for the replies so far.

For our trans Atlantic cousins I don't think it has much to do with pink slips (cars or sackings), it is definately a pink chit. From an older colleague in the crewroom he believes that this is/was a UK military term not one from across the pond. Odds are on the (UK National Service) or RN version so far. But we stand by to be corrected!! ;) :D

[BEagle]

For those of us old enough to remember the Beach Boys' song 'Little Deuce Coupe' form the 1960s:

She's got a competition clutch with the four on the floor
And she purrs like a kitten till the lake pipes roar
And if that aint enough to make you flip your lid
There's one more thing, I got the pink slip, Daddy

In other words, "The car belongs to me".

(BTW, a 'four on the floor' meant a 4-speed manual gearbox with a floor-mounted gear lever and 'lake pipes' meant that the car's exhaust pipes were similar to those fitted to racing hydroplanes - or so I was told by a tame American years ago!)

I'm pretty sure that the RN origin of the 'pink chit' is the true one. Some TGIF 'twofers' bar chits were printed on pink paper, as well IIRC?

[Onan the Clumsy]

a 'four on the floor' meant a 4-speed manual gearbox with a floor-mounted gear lever as opposed to a 'three on the tree'

[Flatus Veteranus]

Sorry I cannot help with the origins of "pink chit", but it goes back a long way. The married members of OUAS in the late '40s (and there were plenty of married veterans in statu pupillariin that period) used to announce to us pimply sprogs straight up from school that "they had a pink to come out on the pi$$". The word "chit" I am sure is peculiarly British, with its origins in the Raj. As a child of the Raj I used to sign "chits" on my father's account for soft drinks in various clubs in Rangoon in '40/41.

[teeteringhead]

Blimey, never thought I'd be able to correct BEags on a matter of fact! 'lake pipes' meant that the car's exhaust pipes were similar to those fitted to racing hydroplanes IIRC the "lake pipes" were an exhaust system which allowed a vent to be opened upstream of the silencer to give an open exhaust (shudder to think what it would do to the mixture).

And the lakes were the (dry) salt lakes - like Bonneville - on which speed record attempts were made.....

..... I'll try and find a link....

[edited to add links]

These (http://www.thehotrodgirl.com/lakepipes.html) are lake pipes still available, the cap secured by two bolts opens the system.

And here (http://www.seriouswheels.com/1950-1959/1954-Mercury-Black-Lake-Pipes.htm) they can be seen in situ in a rather tasty '54 Mercury. The capped vents can be seen just ahead of the rear wheels.

Howzat for thread creep!! :ok:

[BEagle]

Well, I did say that it was 'a tame American' who told me that! I should have known better......:p

I bow to your superior knowledge! It seems that the things I was thinking of are actually known as 'zoomie headers'? :rolleyes:

So I guess that the DB9 which has a similar valve in the exhast system has a Bonneville legacy?

Any more Pink Chit gen, anyone?

[ExGrunt]

Chit is definitely an Anglo-Indian term.

It is short for chity/chittee which comes from the hindi word cittha meaning memorandum or note.

A quick flick through the dictionary shows it appeared in english in the 18th century.

(That's a lot of drinking time) :ok:

EG

[Role1a]

Pink - It was issued by a Lady.

Chit - Thats what your in when you get home.



I'll get my coat!!!!!

R1a

[Crashed&Burned]

How to put this delicately......

The definition of a chit has been well explained by ExGrunt, but the 'pink' bit refers to the agreement of one's female partner that you are free go out on the razzle since the she is not in any fit condition for, shall we say, intimacy..... (It's a monthly girl thing - ask your dad).....

[OOpsIdiditagain]

The origins of 'pink chit' are from the Pennisula war or 1809-12 or so. It was used by the officer of the day to give permission for troops to fall out on the march to relieve themselves. Any troop found out of the ranks without the chit signed by the OOD were liable to arrest and a good dose of field punishment. To stop false chits being made the OOD was given expensive pink paper to write these permissions on. This papaer was deemed to expensive for ordinary troops to buy. First known use was in Crawford's light division and is explained in the original unit standing orders for use on the march. Or so I've read somewhere long ago.