# What do they call the stick the military uses to push around ships, planes, units on those sandbox tables? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629 "2026-02-12T21:08:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/1 "2026-02-12T21:08:48Z")
You’ve probably seen them in movies. A large table showing the battle area with models of ships, planes, units being pushed around (maneuvered). On a billiard/pool table, they are called rakes, crutches, bridges. I’m sure the military has a specific name for them. Probably a nomenclature and National Stock Number (NSN) as well. Anyone know a more specific term? ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/2 "2026-02-12T21:26:23Z")
Found a picture from WWII. [![](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-a3f85f682b5dd2187d4aa8d6d9a84c95) ](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-a3f85f682b5dd2187d4aa8d6d9a84c95) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/3 "2026-02-12T21:28:02Z")
In casinos they are called “croupier sticks” or “croupier rakes”, and that term is apparently also used by the military. > **[croupier stick - Wiktionary, the free dictionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/croupier_stick)** > [@](#): > > ### Alternative forms > > - [croupier’s stick](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/croupier%27s_stick#English) > > ### Noun > > **[croupier](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/croupier#English) [stick](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stick#English)** (_plural_ **[croupier sticks](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/croupier_sticks#English)**) > > 1. A long [stick](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stick#English) with a [wedge](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wedge#English) at the end, used to gather up [chips](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/chip#English) in a [casino](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/casino#English), or to move [figurines](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/figurine#English) representing [units](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/unit#English) in [military](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/military#English) [strategy](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/strategy#English). ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/4 "2026-02-12T21:36:36Z")
I’ve heard people generically call them push rods, for whatever that’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/5 "2026-02-12T23:13:07Z")
The game War Room went with “command staves” and they do add to moving your units around the WWII battle map. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/6 "2026-02-12T23:37:25Z")
> [@smithsb](#): > > Found a picture from WWII. > [https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-a3f85f682b5dd2187d4aa8d6d9a84c95](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-qimg-a3f85f682b5dd2187d4aa8d6d9a84c95) Now they call them “computers.” ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2026, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/7 "2026-02-12T23:54:12Z")
Withdrawn, hijack ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/8 "2026-02-13T07:04:56Z")
In the past I’ve called them ‘casino sticks’, even though its not the proper term, but everyone got it. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/9 "2026-02-13T08:37:10Z")
A plotting controller? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/10 "2026-02-13T20:02:00Z")
When we played “Little Wars” on a sand table, we called them “sticks”. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-call-the-stick-the-military-uses-to-push-around-ships-planes-units-on-those-sandbox-tables/1027629/11 "2026-02-14T00:14:46Z")
I’d call it a baton or a wand. Those are both sticks used to direct things.