No names, no pack drill
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
This expression, often to be heard in our house, originated in the British army.
Pack drill was a punishment for offenders which entailed marching in full uniform carrying a heavy pack of equipment. It was a common form of discipline in the nineteenth century army and was first recorded in 1903.
‘Boots – boots- boots- boots - movin’ up and down again’
Rudyard Kipling 1869-1936
The phrase carries the meaning that when a misdemeanour has been committed no-one can be punished if the miscreant has not been named.
In general humorous use, it is used as advice to abandon a subject or discussion so that further difficulties can be avoided. I suppose it could be superseded in some circumstances by, ‘Mind your own business.’
The phrase sprang to mind when I read the following on Facebook:
It’s frightful that people who are so ignorant should have so
much influence.
George Orwell 1903-1950
