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Forgive my ignorance, but could you say what "his oppo" means? Thanks! (Update: after reading the Wikipedia article I see that it probably refers to "his colle

Forgive my ignorance, but could you say what "his oppo" means? Thanks! (Update: after reading the Wikipedia article I see that it probably refers to "his colleague", but I wasn’t familiar with the use of "oppo" here.)

ceejayoz 8y ago
Friend/companion. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oppo https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oppo
- Stratoscope 8y ago
  Ah, roger that, thanks! I see that this is a British English word, so it brings to mind the old saying: "Two peoples divided by a common language."
  - cjbprime 8y ago
    If it helps, I grew up in England and never heard this word either -- sounds like use outside aviation/Navy is rare.
    - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
      It's archaic, apparently an abbreviation of opposite number. We might use work buddy today, where colleague is too wooden. Was pretty common to hear amongst the wartime generation, but has declined pretty rapidly since the 80s. Never once heard it used for "sweetheart" as Webster's seems to think.
- userbinator 8y ago
  Coincidentally, not sure if the brand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppo was inspired by that, but it certainly fits.
jaydenseric 8y ago
"Oppo" is British naval slang for colleague, I heard it alot from the older navy staff at the Australian Defence Force Academy. https://www.hmsrichmond.org/dict_o.htm https://www.hmsrichmond.org/dict_o.htm https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Australian_English_military_slang#O https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Australian_English_m... > OPPO > Naval slang - short for opposite number - for the person doing the same job as one's self in another watch or ship. In the former case, since you relieved each other (in the old two-watch days), it behoved you to become friends; thus the word Oppo came to mean Chum. On a two-watch watchbill, the name of a man's 'opposite number' in the other watch was shewn against his own name in the opposite column.

ceejayoz 8y ago

Friend/companion. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oppo https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oppo

Stratoscope 8y ago
Ah, roger that, thanks! I see that this is a British English word, so it brings to mind the old saying: "Two peoples divided by a common language."
- cjbprime 8y ago
  If it helps, I grew up in England and never heard this word either -- sounds like use outside aviation/Navy is rare.
  - NeedMoreTea 8y ago
    It's archaic, apparently an abbreviation of opposite number. We might use work buddy today, where colleague is too wooden. Was pretty common to hear amongst the wartime generation, but has declined pretty rapidly since the 80s. Never once heard it used for "sweetheart" as Webster's seems to think.
userbinator 8y ago
Coincidentally, not sure if the brand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oppo was inspired by that, but it certainly fits.

jaydenseric 8y ago

"Oppo" is British naval slang for colleague, I heard it alot from the older navy staff at the Australian Defence Force Academy. https://www.hmsrichmond.org/dict_o.htm https://www.hmsrichmond.org/dict_o.htm https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Australian_English_military_slang#O https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Australian_English_m... > OPPO > Naval slang - short for opposite number - for the person doing the same job as one's self in another watch or ship. In the former case, since you relieved each other (in the old two-watch days), it behoved you to become friends; thus the word Oppo came to mean Chum. On a two-watch watchbill, the name of a man's 'opposite number' in the other watch was shewn against his own name in the opposite column.