ALLAKEEFICK FOUR - Tripoli 1943

[DAVID LYON]

I have a photo of my grandfather Charles BOWN (Stoker 1st class) with 3 other men;-
Written on the back is;

1943 Tripoli

J. MALONE - Stoker 1st class - Navy uniform
D. FAIRFIELD - Leading stoker - Navy uniform
S. GRAY - Sgt - Army uniform

Also written there is....

ALLAKEEF FOUR (Maleesh)

Does anyone recognise any of these names, or can suggest what their connections would be, Navy + Army.
His service record shows him on Special Services around this time, so maybe a Combined services unit?

Can't find any record of Allakeef? But believe Maleesh is arabic for 'doesn't matter'

David.

[Mutley]

I googled Alla Keef and 'nada' but if you google Alla Kif several sites come up, unfortunately all in Arabic. Could your famous four have not known the spelling?
I do not know what it means and it may not be relevant at all but it is all I could find.

Good Luck

[Thomasin]

Malesh is indeed 'doesn't matter' or, which is better, 'never mind'. I would think Allakeef is a place name. I will ask a Libyan friend who lives in Tripoli (and owes me a favour!)

Thomasin

[oxon57]

I would think Allakeef is a place name.

Usually (with various c/k/ck options) "Allakeefick" as per the thread title, rather than "Allakeef" as given in the message itself.

I don't know its origin, but it's old Army slang, used by people such as my father, who was in the Middle East in WWII. The actual meaning seems to be a bit variable, but if somebody couldn't give a cuss about anything, was a slacker, or was away with the fairies, anything along those lines, he would describe them as "Allakeefick" - or, if he himself wanted to indicate that he couldn't care less about whatever you'd just told him, he would just shrug his shoulders and say "Allakeefick", the same basic idea.

[Geoffers]

I don't know its origin, but it's old Army slang, used by people such as my father, who was in the Middle East in WWII

'The Dictionary of Tommies' Songs and Slang, 1914-1918' by John Brophy and Eric Partridge was re-printed this year and a good buy for anyone interested in the subject.

It includes something which may be connected - possibly the original meaning which changed slightly by the Second World War? -

"All Kiff': All right, all correct. Usually an affirmative. Probably cognate with the French argotic kif-kif, similar, the same, equal."

[neil1821]

I have a photo of my grandfather Charles BOWN (Stoker 1st class) with 3 other men;-
Written on the back is;
....................

Can you perhaps scan the photo?
You never know, perhaps someone will spot something useful

[DAVID LYON]

Thanks for that, I do appreciate you taking the time to try and help me out.

[Thomasin]

I have had a reply from my friend in Tripoli. He is completely puzzled by this word, and although he puts forward a few suggestions and is willing to delve a bit more, I think that oxon57 probably hit the nail on the head.

Thomasin

[DAVID LYON]

Thanks and thanks to your friend too. I think you're right about oxon57's suggestion. It would make sense.

David

[Thomasin]

Hakeem has had another think and this is what he has come up with (in his own words):

'They are - for sure – Arabic words. The first literally means “on my temper”, or: “matches my temper”. It is used when one would like to say: Excellent! For, for example, food, clothes or a perfume.


The second: “Ala-kaifik” literally means: on your temper. This has two practical meanings, the first is the previous meaning, the difference is just the user. While the previous is used by a speaker for himself, this is used by the spoken to, a merchant mainly, while he is trying his best to persuade you to by something from him, so he say: I swear that this –say - T shirt is “Ala-kaifik”, when he want to confirm that it is very good that you will definitely admire it.


The second meaning (of Ala-kaifik) is: as you wish. This is usually said as the last word in a conversation you tried to persuade your spoken not to do something you think it is bad or wrong, but he still want to do it. When you want to end this useless discussion, you would say: ok, do what you want, or: “Ala-kaifik”! Here you said yes, but you are saying no inside!'


In other words, the modern 'Whatever ...', which is oxon57's dad shrugging his shoulders!

Thomasin