Leatherneck is a military slang term for a member of the United States Marine Corps, or of the British Royal Marines. It is generally believed to originate in the wearing of a leather "stock" or collar around the neck, which kept the posture erect.
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History
The term "leatherneck" was derived from a leather stock once worn around the neck by both American and British Marines. In the United States, beginning in 1798, "one stock of black leather and clasp" was issued to each Marine every year. Its use as a synecdoche for Marines began as a term of ridicule by sailors.
The use of the collar in battle was to protect the neck against the cutlass of pirates. The First Barbary War engaged the new American fighting force to stop the lawless Muslim pirates from holding trade ships for ransom during Jefferson's term as president.
The dress blue uniform of the US Marines still bears a tribute to that stock collar today, with its stiff cloth collar.
Leather neck collar
This stiff leather collar, fastened by two buckles at the back, measured between 2.5 and more than 3 inches tall in front, tapering toward the back. The origin of the leather neck collar, also known as a "stock", has to do with early 19th-century military fashion trends in Europe and North America; its use among enlisted men supposedly improved their military bearing and appearance by forcing the chin high and posture straight.
The stock was uncomfortable, but Marines would be punished for failure to wear them on duty, so some would have the stock stitched to their coats to ensure it was always on their uniform. General George F. Elliott, recalling its use after the American Civil War, said the "effect of the stock when buckled around a man's neck was to hold his head high in the air, like geese looking for rain".
The stock was dropped as an article of American Marine uniform in 1872, after surviving through the uniform changes of 1833, 1839, and 1859.
As protection
While the stock is understood to have been worn only for posture, legend tells that it was worn to protect the neck from sword cuts, such as cutlass slashes while boarding ships. The leather stock was adopted three years prior to the Barbary War in which United States Marines first fought Arabic troops armed with scimitars.
Alternative etymology for Royal Marines
While the American Marine Corps nickname "leatherneck" is generally attributed to the wear of the leather stock, some argue that the use of the term for British Royal Marines is not based on that garment, but instead on the tough and "leathery" nature of a weathered and unwashed neck, noting that "bootneck" is also a British slang term for a marine.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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