# What did military commanders say before they said "fire"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-military-commanders-say-before-they-said-fire/233689>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 11, 2004, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-military-commanders-say-before-they-said-fire/233689 "2004-03-11T13:46:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![epepke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9de0a6/32.png) [@epepke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epepke)\
**Post date:** [March 12, 2004, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-military-commanders-say-before-they-said-fire/233689/21 "2004-03-12T12:08:39Z")

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> [@Balthisar](#):
>
> As a slight aside, what do they say in other languages? For example, I don’t even know if “fire” is a noun or a verb in its use in English. I say this because I know that in Spanish (in Mexico anyway), they always shout “fuego” which is definitiely a noun, and strikes me as wierd, 'cos I’d always imagined that in English it was a plural, understood-you, imperative.

“Fuego” is also the Mexican word for “help.” As in what you shout if someone is attacking you. Whether it applies to other dialects, I don’t know.

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**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\
**Post date:** [March 13, 2004, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-military-commanders-say-before-they-said-fire/233689/22 "2004-03-13T13:05:13Z")

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> [@Thaumaturge](#):
>
> Actually, that translates to ‘release the arrows’. From [this](http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie_fotr.htm#tangado) site. Their explainations make more sense.
> 
> /LotR geek

All right then, so much for the Second Age. Let’s try the Third Age.  
From your linked site, at Helm’s deep Aragorn gives the order “_Tangado a chadad!_” to the Elvish archers which is translated as [“Prepare to fire!”](http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/movie_ttt.htm)

LL, no small Tolkien geek himself.

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