Naval The traditional nickname for the Master-At-Arms, the chief of the ship's police. At the end of the XVII century the Master-At-Arms was the Small Arms Instructor and also responsible for the minor organisation of the ship's company; he lost this latter responsibility when Commander's Offices were introduced in about 1926. The name "Master-At-Arms" first appears in about 1860. The name "Jaunty" is said to be a corruption of the French GENDARME, which, aglicised, became John Damme