Thanks to Navy veteran Chad Rittle, who passed along this terrific article by historian Scot Christenson in the October 2020 issue of Naval History Magazine about the strange origin of the Navy term “gedunk” [pronounced GEE-dunk].

In the Navy and Marine Corps, the term has been used to refer to junk food, particularly ice cream, since the Second World War.

Bizarre theories have located the term’s origin in the Chinese word for “idleness” or in onomatopoeia from the sound of a vending machine dispensing coffee or soda.

Turns out, popularization of gedunk came in the 1920s from the fantastic brain of cartoonist Carl “Swede” Ed who used it in his widely-syndicated comic strip “Harold Teen.” The comic strip captured the post-World War I youth culture and became a significant influence on teenage slang and trends of the era.

Ed, in turn, picked up the word from an ethnic joke in the Chicago Tribune. The paper’s long-running column, “A Line O’ Type or Two,” featured German immigrants speaking broken English as they debated the etiquette of dipping cakes into coffee. The characters called it “gedunking,” playing off actual German words like “dunken” (to dip) and “eingetunkt” (dipped).

Carl Ed picked up on this term and incorporated it into his comic strip, using it to describe a sundae at Harold Teen’s favorite hangout, the Sugar Bowl. The “gedunk sundae,” consisting of a glass of chocolate with two scoops of ice cream in which ladyfingers were “gedunked” (dipped), quickly became a national sensation. Ice cream parlors across the country started offering gedunk sundaes, and the word became synonymous with ice cream and, by extension, junk food in general.

As the popularity of the comic strip and the gedunk sundae spread, the term found its way into the U.S. Navy.

After Secretary of the Navy and national killjoy Josephus Daniels banned alcohol from United States Navy ships with General Order 99 in 1914, the Navy installed soda fountains on ships as part of a broader effort to improve sailors’ quality of life.

Ice cream, already a favorite treat among sailors, became even more accessible, and the term “gedunk” was soon used to describe both the snack bars where ice cream and other treats were sold and the treats themselves.

The Navy’s adoption of the term was likely fueled by the broader cultural phenomenon surrounding the gedunk sundae and its association with youthful indulgence and leisure. Onboard Navy ships, the gedunk stand became a central part of daily life, offering a sweet escape from the rigors of military service.

The word also took on additional meanings, coming to refer to any kind of junk food, and even extending to describe anything deemed trivial or worthless, such as “gedunk medals” (awards given to everyone) or “gedunk sailors” (new recruits).

During World War II, “gedunk” became firmly entrenched in Navy slang. Despite global food shortages, the Navy made a point to ensure that sailors had access to ice cream and other gedunk, recognizing its importance for morale.

Though the comic strip “Harold Teen” eventually faded from public memory, the term “gedunk” remained a lasting legacy in Navy culture.