mess kitn.
/ˈmɛs kɪt/, U.S. /ˈmɛs ˌkɪt/ Chiefly Military.
1.
a. Utensils for cooking and eating food, esp. in a compact kit carried by a soldier.
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the world > food and drink > food > food manufacture and preparation > equipment for food preparation > [noun]
kitchenware1612
kitchen trade1693
batterie de cuisine1773
battery1819
kitchenry1845
mess kit1854
kitchenalia1924
1854 A. W. Tinkham Let. 2 Jan. in Rep. Explor. Route to Pacific (U.S. War Dept.) (1855) I. ii. xviii. 628 Saddles, bridles, mess-kit, and the variety of little conveniences which one gathers around him in regular camp.
1913 Army & Navy Jrnl. Philippines 19 July 16 We line up with our mess kits, and they dished us out the stew.
1954 W. Faulkner Fable (1955) 343 Bottles, old messkits.
1990 Quarterly (U.S.) Winter 4 It was part of a mess kit she'd traded for through the wire at a camp when she'd lost hers.
b. U.S. slang (humorous). I hope to spit in your mess kit and variants: (as a mild oath) ‘beyond a doubt’, ‘certainly’, ‘I'm telling the truth’.
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1924 Adventure 20 June 168 I hope to spit in your messkit I can!
1968 W. C. Anderson Gooney Bird 84 Ah hope to spit in yo' mess kit. They're wilder'n a Texas widow in heat.
1984 J. R. Elting et al. Dict. Soldier Talk 197/2 Among soldiers and veterans of World Wars I and II, ‘Hope to spit (or worse) in your mess kit!’ was an emphatic expression of agreement.
2. The uniform worn by a soldier on formal occasions in the mess.
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the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [noun] > for specific people > for members of a body or association > naval, military, etc. > types of
regimentals1728
undress1748
regiments1759
regimental1764
dress uniform1774
kit1785
roast beef coat1802
butternut1810
frock-uniform1810
fatigue-dress1834
fatigue1836
fatigue-uniform1836
shirtsleeve order1854
grey1862
scarlet runnerc1864
square-rig1875
rig of the day1877
swagger-dress1901
trench coat1914
hospital blue1919
romper1922
suntan1937
battle-dress1938
army greens1945
mess kit1953
tiger suit1970
1953 J. Masters Lotus & Wind vii. 89 His mess-kit was grey and black with silver facings.
1990 A. Beevor Inside Brit. Army xxiii. 280 Officers who have served in an RHA regiment have the right to keep the ball buttons on their mess kits for the rest of their career.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1854