# former Military...favorite jargon **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 10, 2014, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752 "2014-07-10T09:52:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/61 "2014-07-13T23:21:43Z")
FIGMO - Fuck-it. I got my orders. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/62 "2014-07-14T03:25:41Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > To me, “ghosting” is a more severe form of shamming. Good ole fashioned shamming involves looking like one is working, but not putting any effort at all into it. Holding the mop for an hour without actually getting anything accomplished, for example. That way, if someone comes by or is only casually observing, you appear to be working. Shammers are also the guys on the police call who never pick up anything, or the guys who just talk while everyone else is sorting brass. Shamming. > > But shamming is also when a person sneaks off to sleep in the wood line or the shower, or hides in his wall locker, or any other kind of temporary escape from work. Shamming is also the guy who goes to sick call or schedules a dental appointment at a time when he/she knows there is some group activity to be done. That is more severe, but still shamming. The key element here is that someone may be asking about you or looking for you. Your absence, if noticed, immediately raise questions. > > Ghosting… now ghosting is another thing entirely. The highest level of shamming. While shamming lasts for a short period, usually no longer than the activity being shammed out of, ghosting occurs over a longer period. Its more like a duty status. Ghosting normally occurs when a person is changing duty stations. Soldiers are given 10 business days to clear and out-process the installation. During this time, nobody really cares or pays attention to where the Soldier is. It is just assumed that the Soldier is taking care of some important or necessary part of the clearing process. The Soldier can even come in and out of the company area–even when other Soldiers are hard at work–and nobody will notice or care. Nobody will ask the Soldier to join in and help with the task at hand. It is just assumed that he has other stuff going on. That is the most common form of “ghosting”. Sometimes a unit will have to go on a training mission, maybe for a month. And during that month, you are scheduled to leave post. So instead of taking you with them for 2 weeks, and then sending you back for 2 so that you can clear, they may just leave you in the rear. Now you have a month of ghosting. Nobody will be looking for you or asking about you. > > Outside of the clearing process, I have only seen someone truly ghosting on a few rare occasions. One was a Soldier who was placed on a 3 month tasking to work at the post swimming pool. The pool closed down after 1 month, but the Soldier never went back to work. Nobody put 2 and 2 together to realize that this Soldier was no longer working at the pool because the pool shut down for unscheduled maintenance. That Soldier ghosted for 2 months! He could walk in and out of the barracks, would be seen by all levels of leadership, but never had to work. Everyone just accepted that he was working on some special assignment somewhere. > > I’ve seen a Soldier ghost for several months because he was never really assigned to a platoon after the redeployment. So every platoon sergeant just kind of assumed that he was in another platoon. Nobody ever asked where he was or what he was doing. He would come in before the first formation and be seen by all, and just kind of talk to people to make an effort to be seen, and then just disappear before the actual formation. Nobody noticed. People knew he was in the company, but nobody thought he was in _their_ platoon. He would come back around lunch time, just to pop in and be seen, and then leave again until the next morning. > > Saw another Soldier get placed on a late night tasking that was supposed to last three weeks. When he showed up, they didn’t need him, so he went back to the unit. But he never told the unit that he was no longer doing the tasking. True Ghosting in its purest form right there!! Since the tasking had him scheduled to work from midnight to 5am, it never raised any eyebrows when he would be walking around the company area in the middle of the duty day wearing civilian clothes on his way to go off post and enjoy his free time. Everyone just figured he was working a special assignment that month! > Ghosting can last longer than those two weeks on rare occasions. Those men are true heroes. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/63 "2014-07-14T03:55:10Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Oh, of course there’s SNAFU and FUBAR. The [M60](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M60_machine_gun) was known as “The Pig”. A junior officer you respected might be called “Ell Tee”. You forgot the step between SNAFU and FUBAR, TARFU. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/64 "2014-07-14T08:18:41Z")
When someone in your section asks why we were given a particular assignment, how long we’re supposed to do this assignment, or what the point of this assignment is - raise a fist, hold it in front of your face, make a thrusting gesture toward and away from yourself. They will recognize the sign for “Fuck Nose”, as in “Who the fuck knows?” -longtime reservist, signals ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/65 "2014-07-14T14:16:00Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > They will recognize the sign for “Fuck Nose”, as in “Who the fuck knows?” OK, that explains something to me. A friend, brought up in an army base in Germany, and his step-mom would call each other “Suck Nose.” When I asked what it meant, they just said it was a pet name. They must have got it from this. ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/66 "2014-07-14T15:32:59Z")
Butter Bars - a 2nd Lieutenant Full Bird - an O6 Colonel versus a Lieutenant Colonel. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/67 "2014-07-14T15:35:49Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > Butter Bars - a 2nd Lieutenant Mustang: An officer who served previously as enlisted. In general, they automatically gain more respect from their troops. Deservedly, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/68 "2014-07-14T15:48:40Z")
N ever A gain V olunteer Y ourself M uscles A re R equired, I ntelligence N ot E ssential M y A ss R ides I n N avy E quipment And Everyone’s favorite: U ncle S am’s M isguided C hildren ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/69 "2014-07-14T15:52:02Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > N ever > A gain > V olunteer > Y ourself > > M uscles > A re > R equired, > I ntelligence > N ot > E ssential > > M y > A ss > R ides > I n > N avy > E quipment > > And Everyone’s favorite: > > U ncle > S am’s > M isguided > C hildren **A** in’t **R** eady to be a **M** arine **Y** et ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/70 "2014-07-14T17:47:50Z")
ex-RCAF; Dilligaf is used a lot, as well as Bohica (Bend Over, Here It Comes Again). Snag for an aircraft unserviceability, also any exercise or TD (we drop the Y because we don’t say Y’all) that was FUBAR would be called Op BFC- Operation Belt fed Cock. My personal favorite is the term for a pilot- Seat Stick Actuator or Seat Stick Interface. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/71 "2014-07-14T18:23:29Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > “Butterbar” was a less than endearing term for a newly commissioned ensign who didn’t know shit from Shinola but ordered everyone around as if they did. My husband was in a “no salute” area in Iraq, meaning that you didn’t salute officers when you passed them, because if an insurgent happened to be watching, he’d know who all the officers were. However, every now and then, a butterbar would show up, and not get the word (or the why) on the “no salute,” and demand that the enlisted people salute him. This was referred to as a “ **sniper check**.” > [@bump](#): > > I always wondered where the term “ate up /eat up” came from; my dad (USAF enlisted 1969-1973) always used it in a very disparaging and disdainful way for people who were too gung-ho and enthusiastic about something trivial. He pronounces it ‘eat up’, as in “He’s all eat up with it.”, but I suppose that’s his Texas accent coming out. Now, it means something that is out of compliance, or just messed up. Payroll screwed up, and our pay is delayed until Monday? That’s ate up. Your bootstrings are hanging out? that’s ate up. You’re late because you got lost on the way back from sick call? either that excuse is really ate up, or you are. Here’s a couple more: **Fort Living Room** : this is where people in the reserve and guard are posted after training. **Oil level gauge rod** : I was a mechanic, and this is just one example of many wordy terms the Army came up with for something that already had a simple name. An “oil level gauge rod” is a dip stick. A lot of things are known by initials: basic training is IET (initial entry training); the uniform I wore at basic, the old-fashioned camouflage of the 1990s, was called BDUs, or Battle Dress Uniform, but always with the plural “s” on the end. “My BDUs are back from the laundry.” We’d do PT (physical training) every morning, we called our rifles “M-16s,” short for M-16A2. When we were in full gear, with helmets, rucks, and ammo pouches, it was “TA-50.” I don’t even know what that stands for. Oh, and young male soldiers are “Joes,” and women are “Mollies.” ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/72 "2014-07-14T19:08:39Z")
Oh and in addition to Fuck nose, accompanied by the ok symbol on your nose was also fuck hairs (as in Who the fuck cares), same sign on your head. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/73 "2014-07-14T19:20:44Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#): > > FIGMO - Fuck-it. I got my orders. Followed, occaisionally, with its inverse “OMGIF” – “Oh My God, I’m Fucked!” if the orders turned out to be unexpectedly unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/74 "2014-07-14T19:54:34Z")
Oh, raise your hand if you remember “birth control glasses.” ---
**Author:** ![Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f6c823/32.png) [@Absinthe\_Anecdote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absinthe_Anecdote)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/75 "2014-07-14T20:39:01Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Oh, raise your hand if you remember “birth control glasses.” And when the Buddy Holly frames became stylish again, they quickly got rid of them. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/76 "2014-07-14T20:49:30Z")
LDO (Navy Limited Duty Officer): Loud, Dumb and Obnoxious Marine: A Seabee with a light duty chit Air Force (or Naval Air): Zoomies Guam: Give Up And Masturbate Fleet Sailors: Boat people or anchor clankers LGB: Large Gray Boat (Seabees had no idea what the hell they were actually called) Hooches: what we lived in in Vietnam. Formally called sea huts. No idea where the word came from. Six, six and a kick: Court martial punishment of six months forfeiture of pay, six months confinement at hard labor, and a dishonorable discharge Rocks and shoals: the predecessor of the UCMJ. I’ve heard Marines refer to the shaved sidewalls they call haircuts as rocks and shoals. EO: in the Seabees, this rating stands for Equipment Operator. We used to say that the only thing lower than an E-1 was an EO. They weren’t known for their smarts. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/77 "2014-07-14T20:57:28Z")
Oh yeah-- someone who entered basic with no rank was an E-nothing, or “slick sleeve.” When they finally got their first rank, the single chevron, they were called “mosquito wings.” ---
**Author:** ![tim-n-va](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim-n-va/32/3001_2.png) [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/78 "2014-07-15T01:37:08Z")
TA50 is short for Common Table of Allowances (CTA) 50-900 Clothing and individual Equipment or CTA-909 Field and Garrison Furnishings and Equipment. Generally it was the individual items issued based on your duty assignment beyond basic uniforms. An example is more cold weather gear in Colorado. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/79 "2014-07-15T02:54:50Z")
Female Coasties were referred to as “Split Tails”. CG aviation ratings were known as “Airdales”. While the infantry had soldiers in squads, platoons, companies, and battalions, we in the Cavalry had Troopers in Squads, Platoons, Troops, and Squadrons. “YORC” = You’re Absolutely Right, Commander. “Prick 77” = AN/PRC-77 radio. It was a backpack radio that mysteriously gained weight the longer you wore it. “Crow” = nickname for embroidered/stenciled, or iron on rating insignia for a Petty Officer. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2014, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752/80 "2014-07-15T03:28:26Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Female Coasties were referred to as “Split Tails”. CG aviation ratings were known as “Airdales”. > > While the infantry had soldiers in squads, platoons, companies, and battalions, we in the Cavalry had Troopers in Squads, Platoons, Troops, and Squadrons. > > “YORC” = You’re Absolutely Right, Commander. > > “Prick 77” = AN/PRC-77 radio. It was a backpack radio that mysteriously gained weight the longer you wore it. > > “Crow” = nickname for embroidered/stenciled, or iron on rating insignia for a Petty Officer. I forgot the prick 77. They always seemed to pick the smallest guy to carry the damn thing. On one field exercise (FEX), I came upon this poor schmuck lying on his back on the side of the road. His officer had marched on without him. He looked like a stranded turtle and asked me weakly if I’d help him up. I did, and gave him some water. The guy looked done for. Fucking young officers had no sense of leadership or responsibility to their men sometimes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-military-favorite-jargon/692752.md?page=5)