Wavy Navy
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
The Naval slang name for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (R.N.V.R.), the officers of which, m war-time, have the gold braid on their sleeves in wavy lines instead of straight.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Wavy Navy” mean?
The Naval slang name for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (R.N.V.R.), the officers of which, m war-time, have the gold braid on their sleeves in wavy lines instead of straight.
Is “Wavy Navy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.