Maggie’s Drawers . . . a strange expression, to be sure. I came across it while reading a book that made reference to Lee Harvey Oswald's shooting skills. According to the testimony given to the Warren Commission by a fellow Marine: "I remember seeing his [shooting]. It was a pretty big joke, because he got a lot of "Maggie's drawers," you know, a lot of misses, but he didn't give a darn . . ."
Among old time military types, it means tomiss something completely. On a militaryrifle range when a shooter misses their target the spotter in the pit waves ared flag indicating a miss.
The targets are generally a fair distance away fromthe shooters, so the flag has to be big enough so that it can be seen by thepeople on the firing line. The large flag is reputed to be as big as"Maggie's Drawers” (underwear).
. . . "it was quite funny to look at, because he would get a couple of disks. Maybe out of a possible ten he'll get two or three Maggie's drawers. Now, these [the Maggie's drawers] are a red flag that's on a long pole, and this is running from left to right on the target itself. And, you don't see this on a firing line too often--not a Marine firing line. . . And we thought it was funny that Oswald was getting these Maggie's drawers so rapidly, one after the other. And this is why I can't think that he could be a good shot, because a good shot doesn't pull this. He'll pull a three, but he won't pull a Maggie's drawer-- that's a complete miss."
The expression is a reference to an old . . . albeit obscene. . . folksong. There are different versions of the ditty butI will spare you and share a milder . . . but still nasty . . . rendition.
Those Old Red Flannel Drawers That Maggie Wore
They were wrinkled atthe top,
For a nickel theywould drop,
Those old red flanneldrawers that Maggie wore.
They were baggy at theknees,
And the crotch wasfull of cheese,
Those old red flanneldrawers that Maggie wore.
There were maggots inthe cheese,
You could hear thebastards wheeze,
Those old red flanneldrawers that Maggie wore.
May you never shoot Maggie's Drawers.
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