# Terms that are only ever heard in certain sub-cultures **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585 "2013-08-30T15:56:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/41 "2013-08-31T14:34:58Z")
Interesting, “circle of confusion” is used in observational astronomy, too, and I’d wager with the same meaning as it has in photography. Most of those others, I can make a pretty good guess as to what they mean (though the chemical ones like “acid fix” are no longer relevant for astronomy, which has been using CCDs since decades before they were cool). In physics, the worst jargon offenders are the ones that _are_ commonly heard outside of physics, but with different meanings. “Work”, “power”, “energy”, “force”, “stress”, “strain”, and “pressure” all have very specific meanings in physics, which may sometimes correspond to their common usages, but not always. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/42 "2013-08-31T14:57:22Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Interesting, “circle of confusion” is used in observational astronomy, too, and I’d wager with the same meaning as it has in photography. 🆒 Yeah, a [basic optics term that should be taught in any photography course](http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/depth-of-field.htm). I am also an amateur astronomer (since the early 1970s) and astrophotographer. Another related term that has gained a lot in popularity is [bokeh](http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/bokeh.htm). I was posting just a few of the terms that a long term photo enthusiast would know _as they relate to photography_. I would wager that a thinking person could probably get pretty close to what many of the terms posted throughout this thread might mean if aware of the specific context being referenced. ymmv ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/43 "2013-08-31T15:01:11Z")
> [@that\_darn\_cat](#): > > Homebrewing: > > Vorloauf, sparge (batch or fly), pitch, cold crash, SWMBO (not exclusive to brewing), BMC, FYB, mash, strike, dough in, mash out,SMASH, skeeterpee, SG, FG, ABV, points, degrees Plato, IBU, CFC, conical, HLT, MT, BK, BIAB, can and kilo, wash, slant, cake, corny, sanke, SS braid, keggle, keezer, and I’m sure I’m forgetting many more. I know all those but “can and kilo”, FYB and skeeterpee. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2013, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/44 "2013-08-31T15:04:16Z")
> [@that\_darn\_cat](#): > > Homebrewing: > > Vorloauf, sparge (batch or fly), pitch, cold crash, SWMBO (not exclusive to brewing), BMC, FYB, mash, strike, dough in, mash out,SMASH, skeeterpee, SG, FG, ABV, points, degrees Plato, IBU, CFC, conical, HLT, MT, BK, BIAB, can and kilo, wash, slant, cake, corny, sanke, SS braid, keggle, keezer, and I’m sure I’m forgetting many more. [related to my post above] Of course, some things would require some Google use. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/45 "2013-09-01T08:02:11Z")
Railfans are sometimes called “foamers” as they supposedly foam at the mouth when seeing a train, especially one they want to photograph. Same with railfans who specialize in electric railroads, trolleys, light rail and subways, except the proper term for these is “sparkies”. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/46 "2013-09-01T09:14:08Z")
> [@movingfinger](#): > > Railfans are sometimes called “foamers” as they supposedly foam at the mouth when seeing a train, especially one they want to photograph. I spent some time shooting interview video for the Union Pacific railroad. They had their own jargon term for railfans - FTN, or “Fucking Train Nut”. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/47 "2013-09-01T11:05:51Z")
Stab jacket, octopus, muppet, stroke, geezer gas, trimix, back gas, caustic cocktail, donkey dick, off-gassing, and reverse squeeze are all terms from the scuba diving world. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/48 "2013-09-01T13:41:55Z")
> [@Rodgers01](#): > > Sure, but the military just does it to the extreme. My father and brother are (or were, in my father’s case) soldiers, and they can be completely incomprehensible when talking, far, far more so than any other group of professionals or hobbyists I’ve been around. That’s because in the military it’s not just work jargon because its not just work. It’s a way of life. For someone homebrewing or working as an EMT there is no need to use jargon outside of that context. When you are in the army it’s your life 24 hours a day. You work there. You live there. You are surrounded by other soldiers. It really does become another language. ---
**Author:** ![SirGalahad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/71c47a/32.png) [@SirGalahad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SirGalahad)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/49 "2013-09-01T17:51:16Z")
Among Jazz musicians: Apple = good gig. Downbeat = starting time of a gig Inside = playing based mostly on the notes of the key signature or the basic scale of each chord. Big ears = can follow changes, especially substitutions, and transposed keys easily by ear, and on the fly. Head = the main melody of the tune. Chorus = the entire song form that gets repeated for solos, minus the codas or endings. Blowing = improvising. Ax = any instrument. In the pocket = swinging with the pulse of the beat in the most musical way. Rhythm and Blues player = can only play well on “I’ve Got Rhythm” changes or “Blues” changes Blues = 12 bar song form based on three four bar sections that each resolve partially or fully. Bird Blues= song form popularised by Charlie Parker, basically a Blues form full of substitute and passing chords. Edge = start of the song. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/50 "2013-09-01T23:54:58Z")
Mathematicians have a habit of using ordinary words with precise mathematical meanings. E.g. set, group, ring, field, space, lattice, sheaf, cycle, annihilator, Lie group, Lie algebra, Killing form. Sophus Lie was a 19th century Norwegian mathematician and Wilhelm Killing, a 19th century German. Proxmire\* once freaked over an NSF grant to study Lie algebras, thinking it meant lie algebras. A friend of mine was discussing annihilators with someone else in an airport and some woman called the TSA, accusing them of planning a terrorist attack. It took some quick talking to avoid missing their flight. Imagine if they had been talking about Killing forms! \*Senator William Proxmire, D, WI, the guy who replaced Joe McCarthy and was (in)famous for giving out the “Golden Fleece” awards to research grants that he, in his ignorance, thought especially risible. Utter asshole. But not as bad as who he replaced. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/51 "2013-09-02T00:09:41Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > …, the BOY test is coming up… Reminding me of one of my favorite questions: What’s the opposite of a BOY test? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/52 "2013-09-02T00:59:16Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > Inspired by the recent thread titled “Cis Women…” Outside of the transexual community, it’s safe to say that few people have heard this term. It’s not too rare. You’ll see it here and there on lib blogs, or opponents making fun of said libs. “Check your privilege, cis-scum!” is practically a meme by now. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/53 "2013-09-02T02:34:31Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > When I sold RVs, a “too-high” was any Asian person who came on the lot. This was because no matter what price you quoted, the response was “too high”. I never saw an Asian person purchase an RV of any sort. hmmm racist stereotype and no sales, nup not seeing the connection… ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/54 "2013-09-02T03:51:05Z")
Took my gyp out today on pairs. Sent her on a go bye to get in front and she grouped real pretty. There was a single she missed and I had to call a lookback but she got him turned with a head grip and rated him well all the way to the bunch. This would be a guy rounding up cows and calves using a female dog. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/55 "2013-09-03T20:16:37Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > Isn’t “In the weeds” a golfing term? As is “My ball landed far off course, out in the weeds, and it’s going to take a ton of strokes to even get back on the green. I am pretty much screwed.” That is how I have always understood it. Me too, which is why it makes sense in the context of waiting tables. If you’re in the weeds, you’re struggling to catch up, and the service you’re giving (and your tip) is almost certainly going to suffer, just like your golf score will almost certainly suffer. Maybe the term went from golf –\> waiting tables –\> other uses? It would be interesting to know how the usage developed. > [@blondebear](#): > > MG, TKAA, BOR, ICSFM, WGFA, SMFM, YBYB…all seen commonly on message boards discussing The Who. > [@tarnation\_eudemonia](#): > > But once you know the context is the Who, the mystery dissipates completely… Not exactly. This might be a bad time to admit to being a lifelong Who fanatic, but I have no idea what any of those mean. Maybe because I just listen to the music and don’t participate in discussions? Anyway, if you would be so kind as to tell me what they stand for, I’d be most grateful. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/56 "2013-09-03T20:22:22Z")
It took me awhile but I could identify all but the first two. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/57 "2013-09-03T22:59:23Z")
Oh, they’re songs! I figured they must be something more esoteric to warrant enough discussion to bother with acronyms. MG - My Generation TKAA - The Kids ARe Alright BOR - Baba O’Riley ICSFM - I Can See For Miles WGFA - Won’t Get Fooled Again SMFM - See Me, Feel Me YBYB - You Better, You Bet (is there really that much to say about this song?) ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/58 "2013-09-07T02:07:42Z")
Oh, let’s see here… Squirt box - Radar simulator. Used to test the RWR RWR (pronounced RAW, for some reason) - radar warning receiver Donkey Dick - numerous cables, hoses, and probes. Basically, anything that is remotely dick-like Snoopy - a locally manufactured tool that looked like a Snoopy profile. Used for hanging jamming pods on F4s Jammer - a bomb lifter/bomb loader. Basically a flattened forklift, used to load bombs, fuel tanks and jamming pods FWS - Fucking White Shit. White, silicon thermal paste (I only heard this used at one base) Hat/RF Hat - the covers we placed over the transmit antennas of ECM pods Block/Blocked/Block In/Block Out - When an aircraft has arrived at or left it’s intended parking spot. NUB - Non Usable Body. Basically, a newb, someone who is assigned to a job but not yet qualified Hammerhead - the wide area at the end of a taxi-way, usually right before the runway Booger-hooker - crew chief ROAD - Retired On Active Duty. That old NCO that has less than a year until retirement, and just doesn’t give a shit Jam - to load or install something. On A-10s, we jammed pods, on B-52s we jammed RTs (receiver-transmitters) and chaff Nonner - anyone that doesn’t work on the flight line Tweaker - jewelers screwdriver EWO - Electronic warfare officer And one of the systems on which I worked had adorable names for the tests, such as ABINGA and ABAGOO. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2013, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585/59 "2013-09-07T02:59:50Z")
I sure wish more of you were defining the terms you’re throwing out. In the tea business, there are words for tea styles that any tea aficionado would know (e.g., oolong or pu-erh), and quite a few words that don’t mean quite the same thing to everyone else. A few off the top of my head: [ul] [li]Cupping: Tasting different teas and comparing them.[/li][li]Infusion: A drink produced by steeping leaves in water.[/li][li]Tisane: Any infusion that’s not made from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).[/li][li]Dust: Tea leaves broken into tiny pieces, usually used in teabags.[/li][li]Fannings: Pieces slightly bigger than dust.[/li][li]CTC: Cut, tear, curl. The way machines process black tea leaves.[/li][li]Orthodox: Hand-rolled tea leaves, or leaves rolled by a machine that mimics hand-rolling.[/li][li]Fixing: Using heat to kill the enzymes that make tea leaves oxidize.[/li][/ul] Then there are names of equipment used for drinking or preparing tea (and I’ll include yerba maté here even though it’s technically not tea): [ul] [li]Gaiwan: A vessel used for tasting, cupping, or “active drinking” of loose tea[/li][li]Bombilla: A metal straw with a filter on the end for drinking yerba maté from a gourd[/li][li]Tisane: Any infusion that’s not made from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis).[/li][li]Chawan: The bowl used for matcha tea in a Japanese tea ceremony.[/li][li]Chasen: The whisk used for matcha.[/li][/ul] There are also tea words that almost everybody outside the industry gets wrong: [ul] [li]Fermenting: Black tea is not fermented. It’s oxidized. Pu-erh tea is fermented.[/li][li]Orange Pekoe: This is not a _type_ of tea. It’s a _grade_ of tea. And there’s no orange involved. If anyone’s interested, I wrote out a description of this grading system [here](http://teawithgary.com/2013/02/13/far-too-good-for-ordinary-people/).[/li][/ul] Software engineering seems to have picked up a surprising number of acronyms from the military. One counter-intuitive example: FUBAR (F\*\*\*ed Up Beyond All Repair/Recognition) has turned into the two common signal or variable names “FOO” and “FOOBAR” (the opposite of FOO). SNAFU (Situation Normal: All F\*\*\*ed Up) is used just about everywhere now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terms-that-are-only-ever-heard-in-certain-sub-cultures/667585.md?page=2)