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Scrambled egg (uniform)


Scrambled eggs (American English) or scrambled egg (British English) is a slang term for the typically leaf-shaped embellishments found on the visors of peaked caps worn by military officers and (by metonymy) for the senior officers who wear them. The phrase is derived from the resemblance that the emblems have to scrambled eggs, particularly when the embellishments are gold in color.

Today the "scrambled eggs" emblem, in one form or another, have been adopted by the majority of the world's navies. Exceptions include the French Navy and Italian Armed Forces, which use embroideries on the officers' cap bands to indicate seniority. Although the use of the term is principally military, some civilians (such as airline and merchant ship captains and (primarily in the United States) senior uniformed law enforcement officers) have similar embellishments on the peaks or visors of their hats.

In the British Armed Forces, and in the armed forces of several other Commonwealth countries, scrambled egg (singular) is a nickname for the gold braid (called an "oak leaf sprig") on the peak of senior officers' peaked caps, and by extension a nickname for an officer. Specifically, Flag Officers, General Officers and Air Officers have two rows of golden oak leaves, while commodores, captains and commanders (Royal Navy), brigadiers and colonels (Army), and group captains (RAF) have one row.


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