The neutrality, however, causes some peculiar situations, such as that arising from the prohibition of uniforms other than those of the Eireann Defence Forces and the Diplomatic Corps. This would be simple if no one from Eire were a sailor, soldier, or airman in the British Forces, but thousands of them are, and as such they may not wear mufti unless on leave from the B.E.F.

The TUCC hearing of the Highland closure proposals in Inverness Town House on March 9 and 10 will be the most panoplied affair of its kind since the present arbitration procedure was established.

Whilst this might sound a little juvenile, it does serve as shorthand for what the MOD was about to do – carry out a sneaky beaky par excellence.

It hardly needs to be said that the results of this method are frustratingly dissatisfying, for the words tend to occur in speech and writing as mere boo-hooray words.