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In the U.S. military, the slang term among both Marineand Army infantrymen for themselves is "grunt." In theBritish Army, they are the "squaddies." The infantry is a smallclose-knit community, and the slang names are terms of endearmentthat convey mutual respect and shared experiences.
Consequently, where does the term grunt come from?
grunt (n.) 1550s, from grunt (v. ); as atype of fish, from 1713, so called from the noise they make whenhauled from the water; meaning "infantry soldier" emerged inU.S. military slang during Vietnam War (first recorded in print1969); used since 1900 of various low-level workers.
Similarly, what does it mean when a man grunts?
grunt. If your younger brother is particularlygrouchy, he might simply grunt in answer to yourquestion about whose turn it is to take out the garbage. Agrunt is a short, deep sound. It's an animal-like sound thatpeople make when they're inarticulate, angry, sullen, or lazy— or sometimes if they're hurt or afraid.
GRUNTS. Soldiers have always had to endure avariety of nicknames. During World War I, they werecalled doughboys because crawling through the European mudgave their uniforms a dough-like color. They were alsocalled sad sacks, after a cartoon character who epitomizedtheir status as victims of the bureaucracy of war.