Editor's Corner

In previous Editor’s Corners, I’ve written here and there about military jargon that’s made its way into our everyday language. I thought it would be fun to look for more, though there’s quite a bit of colorful language I have to avoid. Today I’m just going to give you a selection from a page I found. I tried to leave out most of the really naughty or grim ones, but you can see them at the link here: Military Terms, Slang, and Jargon

A

Alpha Charlie — Military alphabet used to represent a** chewing. Defines getting verbally reprimanded.

B

Bang-bang — An Army term describing a pistol or rifle.

Big Voice — Term used to describe the loudspeaker on a military base. The Big Voice warns of everything from incoming attacks to scheduled ordnance disposal.

Bird — Helicopter.

Burn Bag — A bag used to hold shredded documents, designed to be burned. May also refer to a useless person.

C

Chest Candy — Ribbons and medals worn on a uniform. Can be insulting or applauding.

Crumb Catcher — Military slang describing the mouth.

F

Fart Sack — Refers to a sleeping bag or an airman’s flight suit. [KC – Sorry, I had to include this. When we were kids, my dad always used this term for our sleeping bags and we thought it was hilarious. “OK kids, we’re going camping so everyone needs to bring their fart sack!”]

Fashion Show — A Naval punishment where a sailor is required to dress in each of his uniforms over a period of several hours.

Flight Suit Insert — Air Force slang for a pilot.

Five-Sided Puzzle Palace — The Pentagon.

Football Bat — An individual or way of doing things that is particularly odd.

Fruit Salad — Slang for a service member’s display of medals and ribbons on a dress uniform.

G

Grid Squares — A nonexistent item recruits typically are told to go find.

Gun — Term for a mortar or artillery piece. Must never be used within the military to describe a pistol or rifle.

H

Hat Up — To change one’s location. Refers to the need to wear a hat for the intended destination.

Hit the Silk — Ejecting from an aircraft and utilizing a parachute.

I

Ink Stick — Marine Corps term for a pen.

J

Jawa — Term for an Army soldier who is stationed in a desert area, named after the desert-dwelling aliens of "Star Wars."

Joe — Army term for a soldier. Shortened from G.I. Joe.

M

Meat Identifier — A dish or sauce that identifies what type of meat is being served. For example, cranberry sauce indicates turkey while applesauce indicates pork chops.

Moonbeam — Marine term for flashlight.

Moving Like Pond Water — Moving so slowly that a unique term is required to describe it.

O

Oxygen Thief — A biting piece of slang for someone who’s useless or talks too much.

P

Pad Eye Remover — A nonexistent item used by sailors to trick new service members into a fruitless search. Pad-eyes are used to secure airplanes with chains.

Puddle Pirate — Member of the Coast Guard. So called due to a fallacious belief that the Coast Guard never operates in deep water.

S

Salad Bar — Service ribbons found on a military uniform.

Scrambled Eggs — The embellishments found on some officer’s caps.

Snake Eater — Member of the U.S. Army Special Forces.

Snivel Gear — Any equipment meant for use in cold weather.

Soap chips — A psychological operations (PSYOPS) tactic where fake letters from an enemy’s home country are written and placed on bodies and battle wreckage. They include sentimental content, hint at the infidelity of loved ones back home and are designed to demoralize combatants.

Soup Sandwich — An individual, object, situation or mission that has gone horribly wrong. The thrust of the term’s meaning derives from the fact that it is incredibly difficult, some would say impossible, to make a sandwich out of soup.

U

Uncle Sam’s Canoe Club — A U.S. Navy term for the U.S. Coast Guard.

Kara Church | Technical Editor, Advisory | Knowledge Enablement

Pronouns: she/her | Call via Teams | jackhenry.com

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