Fatatatutian Military Slang [closed]

[Fatatatutti]

The Fatatatutian military has a rich culture which almost has a language of its own. This thread will discuss the more prevalent words and phrases, some of which have bled out into Fatatatutian society as a whole.

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air cavalry - heliborne troops.

Air Ops - headquarters for aircraft operations on a carrier or in an airborne infantry unit (the headquarters of an Air Corps unit is just called "headquarters"). Also refers to the officer in charge of air operations.

aircraft - whether fixed-wing or rotary-wing, flying machines are always refered to as "aircraft", never as "airplanes", "planes", etc.

ajax - high explosive. Originally, "ajex", a corruption of HX. A less commonly used variant is "agee", a corruption of HE.

Alpha - the operational headquarters of a unit, e.g. Alpha 7, the operational headquarters of the 7th Cavalry Regiment. Often the operational headquarters has no fixed location and is wherever the commander and his/her staff happen to be. (see also "Delta")

Alpha Charlie - headquarters of the Air Cavalry (AC) brigade, including the Air Cavalry School (ACS).

Alphonse did it - perennial excuse for anything that goes wrong, derived from the probably apocryphal story that Alphonse unplugged the Internet as a prank, thus depriving the entire nation of Internet access for more than a year. Originally gremlins did it but gremlins were somewhat malevolent whereas Alphonse is just mischievious. Also appears in the form, "That rascal Alphonse," etc. Also used widely by civilians.

Andre - code name for Colonel Andrew Timson, Commandant of the Guerrilla Warfare School (GWS).

[Fatatatutti]

battle flag - large Fatatatutian flag, used especially by submarines which drape it over the side of the tower when surfaced. Ironically, its intent is to avoid battle by identifying the vessel as peaceful.

beaner - carabiner, used to secure various pieces of equipment to the web gear.

belt - belted 5.56x45mm ammunition for the Minimi light machine-gun. For example, "He was carrying three thousand rounds of belt besides his regular gear."

Benny Havens - fictional "Army buddy". Every self-respecting Fatatatutian soldier has a story about his/her supposed encounter(s) with Benny Havens. His most famous exploit was stealing ("borrowing") an Army jeep by mailing it home one piece at a time. Many civilian jeep owners will tell you, "This is the jeep."

Black Ops - an officer whose function is to make an exercise more realistic by designating personnel, more-or-less at random, to be "wounded" or "dead". The idea originated with the Air Cavalry but is now spreading rapidly.

Blondie - universal nickname for General Marie-Louise Castro-Stalina, used with great affection (though not to her face) throughout Fatatatutti's armed forces.

blowpipe - generic term for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher; also used for any man-portable artillery weapon - e.g. recoilless rifle.

blue ribbon - the ribbon of the Peacekeeping Medal, the only decoration that a Fatatatutian soldier wears in public.

boat - a small vessel carried by a larger vessel for auxilliary purposes - e.g. a lifeboat or a launch, or a fairly small vessel which operates inshore rather than on the high seas - e.g. a fast patrol boat - or a submarine. (A submarine is always a boat, never a ship. A corvette, frigate or larger vessel is always a ship, never a boat.)

Boats - standard nickname for the boatswain of any vessel - i.e. the senior Petty Officer.

bravo - code word for an Army base, usually designated by two letters, e.g. Bravo Echo Kilo. A bravo usually has an airfield, paved or unpaved, and some permanent facilities for refuelling, air traffic control, etc. (see also charlie).

broadcast - one of several security classifications, more often used by the intelligence community than by the military per se. "Confidential" is private or personal information, such as personnel records. "Secret" is things that we don't want the enemy to know. "Top Secret" is a little more serious. "Eyes Only" has two implications: "for YOUR eyes only" (don't show it to anybody) and "for your EYES only" (don't make copies). "Broadcast" is what some nations might call "disinformation". Either we tell you lies and hope you believe them or we tell you the truth and hope you don't believe it. Most information in Fatatatutti is classified "broadcast". We expect that our enemies can find it out if they try hard enough but we make it hard for them to trust what they find out.

bucket - helmet, which seems to be used more often for hauling water than for protection; also bucket seat when used as a camp stool.

[Fatatatutti]

(the) caveman service - a term for the Army, used for good-natured ribbing by the Navy and Air Corps and with pride by the Army itself; derived from the fact that the Army uses much more "primitive" technology. (The Army is still using weapons that are older than most of the troops, whereas ships and aircraft have their electronics updated regularly.)

code names/call signs - A vehicle or aircraft is usually known by its individual radio call sign, e.g. XNY556. Often In practice only the three-letter prefix is used, e.g. X-ray November Yankee. Commanding officers often have a call sign of their own which doubles as a code name. For example, General Marie-Louise Castro-Stalina is known as Goldilocks (in the movies, where the diminutive blonde General is depicted as a buxom redhead, her call sign has been changed to Riding Hood); Colonel Kim Cho is known as Mama Bear and Colonel Hans-Ulrich Praetorius is known as Siegfried.

Captain - in the Navy, the commanding officer of any vessel, regardless of actual rank - e.g. an Ensign may be Captain of a torpedo boat, a Lieutenant may be Captain of a submarine, etc. The Captain is the strategic commander of the mission and does not necessarily participate in the day-to-day operation of the vessel, which is the responsibility of the First Officer.

(the) Castro-Stalina way - the hard way, the fastest way that takes the most physical effort, useful in emergencies and for toughening troops; also used ironically for anything that could be done easier. Its origin is often incorrectly attributed to General Marie-Louise Castro-Stalina, who is a major proponent. However, the real origin is her grandfather, General Carlos Maximiliano "Mad Max" Castro-Stalina. (see also geodesic way)

chariot - two-man midget submarine, basically a riding torpedo, used for underwater inspection, demolition, etc

charlie - code word for an Army camp, usually designated by two letters, e.g. Charlie Zulu Foxtrot. A charlie usually has an unpaved airstrip but no other permanent facilities (see also bravo).

circle - for a submarine, its emergency operational area, with itself at the center and the nearest tender or friendly port on the circumference, so that it can make a one-way trip if necessary (see also ellipse).

Cookie - standard nickname for any cook.

crew chief - on a transport aircraft, the crew member responsible for loading and unloading of cargo and/or personnel. The pilot is in charge of the aircraft but the crew chief is in charge of the mission, regardless of any difference in rank. When transporting only cargo, the crew chief is called a Load Master. On a paratroop transport, the crew chief is called the Jump Master, which requires a qualification one level above Master Parachutist.

[Fatatatutti]

D.O. - duty orderly, the officer or NCO on duty at an installation to whom the security staff and communications staff report, especially at night and on weekends.

Delta - the depot or administrative headquarters of a unit, e.g. Delta 7, the depot of the 7th Cavalry Regiment. The depot is often the center for logistics, recruitment, training, etc. (see also "Alpha")

Doc - standard nickname for anybody with medical responsibilities, from a squad medic to a base hospital surgeon.

doughnut-a-day - one of many fundraising schemes, in which Fatatatutians are encouraged to eat a doughnut a day and donate the proceeds to support the military.

drop - air cavalry landing, by abseiling, fast-roping, etc. which does not involve the helicopter touching down, which would be called a "landing" (see also jump).

drumhead court - trial held in the field to administer justice to soldiers accused of serious offenses - e.g. stealing. (Note that while "borrowing" items without asking is a longstanding tradition in Fatatatutian society, stealing from one's fellow soldiers is considered an insult as well as a crime.) The drumhead court is the only court in the military and its harshest punishment is to send the accused home in disgrace.

duck - amphibious vehicle, any of several models and sizes, which can operate on land or on the water. (Contrary to the persistent rumour, it can not fly like its biological counterpart.) Marine Commandos are also known as ducks, their unofficial motto being, "On land and sea and in the air, the mighty ducks are everywhere."

[Fatatatutti]

E.B. - nickname/abbreviation for the Electric Boat Company, which builds many of Fatatatutti's submarines. Periodically, submarines have to go "back to E.B." for refit.

ellipse - for a submarine, its area of operation, with itself at one focus and its tender at the other, so that it can go anywhere within the ellipse and have enough fuel to return to the tender (see also circle).

[Fatatatutti]

"Fastest With the Mostest" - unofficial motto of Fatatatutti's mobile strike forces, especially parachutists and air cavalry but also used by the air-mobile light infantry.

fifty - 12.7mm heavy machine-gun, origin uncertain.

fish - though many navies call a torpedo a "fish", in Fatatatutti the term is applied to a submarine, especially one of the ubiquitous Fish Class, named after various species of fish.

five-five-six - 5.56x45mm ammunition used by the standard-issue R-101 assault rifle and the Minimi light machine-gun.

FlotCom - commander of a flotilla (usually submarines - fast patrol boats are also organized into flotillas but they usually call their flotilla commanders "Flotilla Commander").

forties - 40mm grenades (almost always plural).

forty - quick-firing 40mm gun or the ammunition for it - e.g. "a hundred rounds of forty".

Fuffle - the Fatatatutti Foreign Legion (FFL) or one of its members. The term is currently being supplanted by Legion and legionaire.

[Fatatatutti]

Gee-Bee or jeebie - nickname for the P-9 semi-automatic pistol, used mostly by the Navy, derived from its inventors, the Glick Brothers.

Gee-Cees - nickname for the Gidney and Cloyd Regiment, made up of immigrants from Fatatatutti's sister islands, Gidney and Cloyd, in the Caribbean.

(the) geodesic way - the most efficient way both in time and in effort - e.g. over the shoulder of a mountain instead of around or straight over the top. Origin attributed to General "Mad Dog" Kono's catchphrase, "Take the geodesic."

ghost - submarine tender in hostile waters, which sails under false flags and false names, sometimes even disguising itself with false smokestacks, etc. for protection.

Gibbs' Rule - attributed to the legendary Sergeant Gibbs: "Never go anywhere without a knife."

go dark - observe radio silence.

go solar - when on the march, stick to sunny areas when the weather is cool or shady areas when the weather is hot. On the coast, where most of the people live, the temperature is a steady 26 degrees Celsius all year round but in the highlands, which are frequented by the Light Infantry, it can vary considerably. Since staying in the sunny areas tends to make the troops more conspicuous, especially from the air, "going solar" is restricted to situations where it is not expected to encounter hostiles. The expression is believed to have originated with peacekeepers serving overseas in various climates.

Goldilocks - radio call sign used by General Marie-Louise Castro-Stalina. (Note: In several movies depicting her exploits, the General has been portrayed by a buxom redhead and the call sign has been changed to Riding Hood.)

green light - on a submarine, a report that all of the lights are green on a panel where green lights indicate closed vents and red lights indicate open vents (called a "Christmas tree" in some navies but not in Fatatatutti's). A report of "green light" indicates that all vents are closed and the boat is ready to dive.

grenade boy - soldier (male or female), assigned to carry the squad's extra grenades, almost always a voluntary position; sometimes used more generally for any undesirable job.

grunt - once derogatory term used by other branches to refer to the walking infantry (q.v.), now used by all soldiers to refer to themselves with pride.

Guns - standard nickname for the crewman, usually an officer, responsible for gunnery on any vessel. (Note that gunnery refers to guns, not small arms.)

[Fatatatutti]

H₂O - common pronunciation of H-20, the amphibious helicopter used by the Navy for search and resuce, anti-submarine warfare, etc.

HE - high explosive, usually referring to artillery rounds, in contrast with AP (armour-piercing), etc. In Fatatatutti, as often as not it's called HX. Sometimes corrupted to "agee" or "agex".

heavy infantry - term used by the Light Infantry to refer to more heavily-armed troops with motorized ground transport (compare walking infantry). The heavy infantry prefer to call themselves Mobile Infantry though the Light Infantry claim to be more mobile. Some people compromise by calling them Motorized Infantry or Mechanized Infantry.

hoo - common pronunciation of HU (Helicopter, Utility), the helicopter usd by the Army as a troop carrier, gunship, medivac, etc.

hoot - common pronunciation of HUT (Helicopter, Utility, Twin-engine), a twin-turbine variant of the HU with more lifting power, sometimes used as a heavy gunship.

hot landing - landing by air cavalry in a hot zone.

hot zone - area in which hostile fire is expected.

[Fatatatutti]

insignia - tattoo, usually depicting a regimental or other unit badge or a qualification badge or in the Navy, a ship's logo. Note that members of the Fatatatutian military do not usually wear rank or unit insignia on their uniforms, though they often wear qualification badges.

[Fatatatutti]

jaeger or yaeger - specifically, a member of the Fallschirmjaeger (parachute) Regiment; more generally, any German-speaking light infantryman, from the German, loosely translated as "light infantry".

jewellry - identification tags, sometimes called family jewels. Wearing any other jewellry in the field, except for a watch, is discouraged. (Note: Dogs are not common pets in Fatatatutti and the ones that exist are not licensed, so the term "dog tags" is unknown.)

jump - parachute landing (compare drop).

[Fatatatutti]

lawnmower mode - flying at treetop height, literally. Also known as "trimming the hedges".

light 'em up - command to start engine(s).

load and lock - command to load weapons and set safeties on.

long patrol - in the light infantry, any patrol longer than the "standard" patrol of 3-4 weeks (see also short patrol and standard patrol).

LRE, i.e. Luau Ready to Eat, derived from MRE (Meal Ready to Eat), a "pot luck" meal made up by pooling individual ration packets. One favorite is lasagna made from perogies and chili. (Note: at least one commercial company markets a ready-to-eat luau in one package as "LRE", though it has not been adopted by the Army.)

[Fatatatutti]

Mad Dog - nickname for General Kono, the de facto chairman of the Council of Generals, Fatatatutti's "top General", (never used to his face by anybody), derived from the fact that he is supposedly the only member of the Kono family not in the Navy, implying a fear of water, i.e. hydrophobia, i.e. rabies.

"March or Die" - slogan used jokingly by squad leaders and platoon leaders in the walking infantry.

middie - midshipman, in the Fatatatutian Navy essentially an apprentice officer who is expected to learn every job on the ship. (Note: Midshipmen are accepted at age sixteen for temporary summer service, the only personnel in the Fatatatutian armed forces who may serve before finishing high school.)

mountain gun - in general parlance, a small artillery piece which can be moved (theoretically) without mechanical transport; more specifically in the Fatatatutian Army, it refers ironically to any large and unwieldy piece of equipment, derived from General Marie-Louise Castro-Stalina's proclivity for hauling heavy equipment over terrain which is considered impassable.

mountain surfing - nap-of-the-earth technique for flying up one side of a mountain, ridge, etc. and down the other, maintaining a constant distance from the ground (see also lawnmower mode).

mud puppy - infantryman, used by tankers and aircrew.

mushroom - term used mostly by German-speaking troops for a beret-wearing soldier.

[Fatatatutti]

nine - 9x19mm Parabellum ammunition for semi-automatic pistols and/or submachine guns - e.g. "a thousand rounds of nine". Rarely used to refer to the weapon itself.

[Fatatatutti]

O.D. - officer of the deck, the person (not necessarily an officer) in charge of security and communications on a naval vessel in port.

off the reservation - general description of lost tourists, who are often encountered by routine patrols. (Note: in police circles, "off the reservation" refers to tourists who are deliberately avoiding being found.)

on the bounce, originally on the first bounce, used by parachutists in instructions on what to do when reaching the ground (parachutists never talk about "hitting" the ground); now used by all branches in the sense of "immediately" or "quickly".

[Fatatatutti]

P-38 - small folding can opener once issued to all troops for opening ration cans but now obsolete, though still carried by some for nostalgic reasons. The name is said to come from its length, 38mm.

panzer - among German-speaking troops, "panzer" is the term for a tank; in more general use, it refers to German-speaking tank units, especially the PanzerRegiment Fatatatutti.

papa - code word for a point on the map, usually designated by two letters, e.g. Papa Tango Alpha, to be used as a landing zone, etc.

pig - ground attack aircraft, supposedly named for the sound of its 30mm Gatling gun's resemblance to a wild pig crashing through the underbrush.

[Fatatatutti]

[Q]

[Fatatatutti]

Romeo Foxtrot - radio call sign used by the special commando unit Raiding Force (also known as Romeo Foxtrot), recognized by all airfields in Fatatatutti as a distress call from Raiding Force aircraft returning home with wounded and/or low on fuel.

RQM Stores - regimental quartermaster stores. Since Fatatatutti's army is based on the regimental system, recruiting, basic training and logistics are done at the regimental level. Hence, a trooper who loses a piece of equipment will be authorized to draw a replacement from RQM Stores. Occasionally known as requiem stores.

rubber - 1. vehicle mounted on rubber tires as opposed to tracks - i.e. jeeps, trucks and armoured cars are "rubber" while tanks are not. (Half-tracks are a gray area and are usually called "armour" along with tanks and armoured cars.) 2. soft plastic cover for the muzzle of a rifle intended to protect it from rain, dirts, etc. (Incidentally, condoms are called "condoms", not "rubbers".)

running hot - ahead of schedule. For example, "Our flight is running hot," means that their ETA is earlier than expected, not that there is a problem with the aircraft. Sometimes "hot" is used alone, as in "ten minutes hot". There is no corresponding term for behind schedule, presumably because of Fatatatutians' general relaxed attitude toward time. (It should be noted that the Fatatatutian military is quite capable of operating on precise schedules because they are practically the only Fatatatutians who wear watches.)

[Fatatatutti]

sausage - The Sausage is the unofficial title of the Foreign Legion's marching song; nobody seems to know the official title. It supposedly refers to the bedroll issued to legionaires, which resembles a sausage since it is somewhat thicker than the one issued for use in tropical Fatatatutti. The bedroll itself is sometimes refered to as a sausage and the legionaires themselves are sometimes called sausages by other members of the armed forces.

short patrol - in the light infantry, a patrol lasting about a week, usually for orientation of new recruits (see also long patrol and standard patrol).

show business - loud music played by Air Cavalry helicopters during an attack, ostensibly to frighten the enemy but also to bolster the morale of the attackers. Each regiment has its own favorite; the 7th plays Fat Bottomed Girls, the Chasseurs play Ring of Fire, etc. When approaching the landing zone the pilot of the helicopter will ask the senior officer aboard for "permission to start show business".

Sixty-niners - nickname for members of the 69th Lesbian Light Infantry Regiment.

Skipper - standard nickname for any commanding officer, whether Navy or Army (since Fatatatutti is a very sea-oriented nation).

smokes - usually plural, smoke grenades (not cigarettes, which are much less common).

Sparks or Sparky - standard nickname for any Navy crewman with expertise in electricity or electronics.

spook - reconnaisance aircraft.

squarehead - mostly affectionate term for a German-speaking soldier, derived from the squarish soft fatigue cap worn by many German-speaking regiments in preference to the beret (see also mushroom).

squeaker - tank, used by infantrymen (see also mud puppy).

standard patrol - a three-week patrol in which three loops are made from a central point at which supplies are stored. Sometimes a fourth week-long loop is added (see also short patrol and long patrol).

stork - specifically, the name of a two-seater light aircraft used for spotting, liaison, etc. and as the primary flight trainer for Fatatatutian military pilots; more generally, a term for any ungainly-looking light aircraft.

SubAt, SubInd, SubPac - operational headquarters for submarines in the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean respectively. There is also a fictitious SubArc, the corresponding headquarters for submarines operating in the Arctic Ocean, which is referenced as a potential place of punishment.

[Fatatatutti]

tea-for-two - common pronunciation of T-42, the Army's main battle tank.

"tiger" - code word used to indicate the success of a mission, the number of times it is repeated indicating the degree of success. For example, "tiger, tiger, tiger," signifies an unqualified success while, "tiger, tiger," signifies that the mission went as well as could be expected and a single, "tiger," suggests only a limited success. Technically, the code word should be changed for each mission but "tiger" has become almost universal.

"trick" - General Marie-Louise Castro-Stalina's "trick" is to field-strip an R-101 assault rifle, blindfolded and often in competition with young recruits (who are not blindfolded). She has reputedly never been beaten, though she doesn't make that claim herself. Everywhere she goes she is asked to, "Do your trick," which she refers to as, "my impersonation of Forrest Gump."

triple decker - refers to the three-tiered command structure on the Navy's aircraft carriers: The Captain makes strategic decisions - where the ship is going, the First Officer makes tactical decisions - how to get it there, and the Air Operations Officer has tactical control of the ship's speed and direction during launching and recovery of aircraft. According to protocol Air Ops asks for the con and according to protocol the request is always granted. The Captain can override Air Ops only in an emergency. Although other Navy vessels have a similar two-tier relationship between Captain and First Officer, there is no corresponding "double decker" expression.

trooper - originally a parachutist, now also applied to heliborne troops; sometimes used as a general term for any soldier.

[Fatatatutti]

unibracket - helicopter mounting bracket for a machine gun which can be locked in any one of several positions in the doorway or out of the way against the wall beside the door. Sometimes called a unilever.

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virgin - adjective used to describe a piece of equipment, especially a weapon, that is "like new" - i.e. clean and undamaged.

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walking infantry - refers to the traditional infantry that walk into battle and walk out, as opposed to e.g parachutists who jump in and walk out and air cavalry who ride in and ride out.

war paint - "makeup" worn by commandos on night missions to reduce reflectivity of their faces and other exposed skin, usually black or green. For the opposite effect, Fatatatutian warriors sometimes paint their faces to frighten their enemies. The traditional colours are red and black, the corresponding pigments being blood and charcoal. A soldier's tattoos are also sometimes refered to as war paint.

Watch Officer - officer on a naval vessel who doesn't have a specific function, e.g. Gunnery Officer, but who stands watches - usually a junior officer who has not yet qualified for a speciality. (Note that on Fatatatutian vessels, the Captain usually does not stand watches.)

weapon - rifle, pistol, etc. which is usually man-portable, though any weapon can technically be called a "weapon". A "gun" is an artillery piece; anybody who calls a rifle or pistol a "gun" is immediately spotted as an outsider.

web gear or webbing - system for carrying personal equipment, whether a traditional belt and shoulder straps or a more modern vest-like system, whether made of webbing or not.

Westies - nickname for members of the Westover Rifle Regiment.

"Where Eagles Dare" - motto of the Air Cavalry Brigade.

white-water navy - term applied jokingly to the Light Infantry because of its extensive experience in river crossings.

wonk - Weapon Maintenance Kit (WMK).

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