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Military slang

Military organizations, like nearly all large exclusive organizations, develop slang as means of self-identification.

Military slang is also used to reinforce the (usually friendly) interservice rivalries. Some of these terms have been considered derogatory to varying degrees and attempts were made to eliminate them. Those attempts have failed because many service members take a certain perverse pleasure in the sense of shared hardship which the nickname implies.

Military slang has often been incorporated into the wider usage. See also: List of US Army acronyms, American English, British English

Military slang includes phrases such as:

Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

Ate-up Looks shabby or a chew toy.

B

Beans and Bullets 

(US) The general term for all types of supplies.

Blanket-stacker 

(UK) Any storeman (even if he doesn't deal with blankets). Also applied to the Royal Logistics Corps in general, even though their duties include everything from catering to bomb-disposal as well as storekeeping.

Blue Falcon 

(US) "Buddy Fucker," i.e. one who does not help a fellow soldier, or who intentionally gets a soldier in trouble.

BOHICA" 

Bend Over Here It Comes Again

Blue Force 

(US) The friendly force, the opposite of the OpFor.

Blue on Blue Contact 

(US/UK) A friendly fire incident.

Bones 

(US) Any military doctor, especially in the Navy. Allegedly derived from Sawbones.

Broke-Dick 

(US) A soldier with a medical profile that would hinder the soldier's ability to perform certain tasks. Anything that is not operationally ready.

Butterbar 

(US) A Second Lieutenant a reference to the insignia of rank - a single gold bar.

C

Cannon Cocker 

(US) An artilleryman.

Cannon fodder 

(US) (formerly) An infantryman sent into battle with the expectation that he will be killed.

Cav 

(US) Cavalry.

Chair Force 

(US) the US Air Force, referring to the fact that many Air Force personnel spend their time "flying a desk", i.e. doing office work of various sorts.

Charlie 

(US) Phonetic Alphabet for the letter C. Used in Vietnam as a general term for the Vietcong or the Vietnamese people.

Chickenshit 

The worst kind of shit as it is small minded and has no large purpose and no direction whatsoever

Chief 

(US) The familiar form of address for any US Army warrant officer or US Navy petty officer. Also, a section leader in the US Army.

Chief of Smoke 

(US) The senior enlisted man of an artillery battery after the First Sergeant. Also, Smoke.

Clusterfuck 

A disastrous situation that results from the errors of several people or groups.

D

Delta Hotel 

(US) Phonetic Alphabet for "Direct Hit"

Deuce and a half 

(US) 2 1/2 ton truck used for carrying cargo or up to 40 troops. Commonly used in convoys.

Dickbeaters 

Fingers.

Digger 

Any unknown Australian enlisted soldier.

Doc 

A medic.

Dogface 

A US Army infantryman - common in World War II

Doughboy 

Also a US Army soldier - this term is almost exclusively used in the context of World War I

Dropshort 

(UK) An artilleryman, or the Artillery in general. Artillery will often fire over the heads of friendly troops, who will certainly not appreciate a round that drops short.

Duckhunter 

(US) More properly, an "Air Defender," a member of the Air Defense Artillery.

E

F

First Shirt 

(US) A First Sergeant.

Fister 

(US) An artillery soldier in a Fire Support Team (FST).

Fruit salad 

(US) The colorful collection of medals worn on the breast of a dress uniform.

FUBAR 

(US) Abbreviation for "Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition (or Repair)."

G

G.I. 

(US) A US Army soldier. When used as a verb it means to clean thoroughly as in to GI the barracks. This phrase is often thought to come from "General Issue". The phrase actually comes from the initials for Galvanized Iron which were stamped on the trashcans during WWII.

Goldbrick, Goldbricker 

(US) A member of the military who feigns illness to avoid duty.

Grunt 

(US) A US Army soldier - sometimes, but not always, specifically refers to an infantryman. Folklore has it that GRUNT was originally an acronym of Government Reject - Unfit for Normal Training.

Gun 

(US) An artillery piece.

Gun bunny 

(US) A US Army artilleryman - often specifically a cannon crewman

Gun-plank 

(UK) An Artillery term for a junior officer, implying that they would be more useful wedged under the wheels of the gun to prevent it sinking into the mud than in their current role.

Gunny 

(US) a Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant. Less commonly used to describe the duty position of Gunnery Sergeant in a US Army howitzer platoon.

H

Habib 

(US) A general term for Iraqis during Operation Iraqi Freedom. From Arabic for 'friend.'

Hardball 

(US) Any hard-surfaced road.

High-speed, low drag 

(US) Excellent, particularly of equipment.

Hindquarters 

Any headquarters.

Hit the silk 

(US) To abandon an aircraft mid-flight by means of a parachute. For example, "Johnson's plane took a lot of flak, but he hit the silk just in time!"

Hooah 

(US) A motivated cry, meaning "affirmative."

I

Ie-yee-ah 

(US) Same as "Hooah," used in the US Army Third Armored Cavalry Regiment. Based on an American Indian warcry.

J

Jarhead 

A US Marine - a reference to the "high and tight" haircut and squared chin.

Jet Jockey 

(US) A pilot.

Jodie 

(US) A man who steals a soldier's girlfriend/wife when deployed, out in the field, or in training. So often referred to in cadences used during exercises that the cadences themselves have become known as jodies.

Ain't no use in goin' home,

Jodie's got your girl alone.

Joe 

(US) A soldier.

K

L

LT 

(US) Nickname for Lieutenant (pronounced ELL-TEE). A pronunciation of the actual abbreviation for Lieutenant.

Leatherneck 

(US) A United States Marine, from the high leather collar formerly worn with formal uniforms.

M

Mike Mike 

(US) Millimeter, from the phonetic alphabet.

Millers 

(US) An attempt to pronounce the acronym MLRS for Multiple Launch Rocket System.

Mustang 

(US) A nickname for an officer promoted from the ranks.

N

O

The Old Man 

The unit commander. In practice, this term is often used even when the commander is female.

OCONUS 

(US) Acronym for Outside the CONtinental United States. While this acronym is predominantly used by the military, some US-based multinational corporations also use it.

OPFOR 

(US) The exercise enemy at the American National Training Center in California. By extension, the enemy or 'OPposing FORce.'

P

Purple Suiter 

(U.S.) A person who is serving in an all-service (Army/Navy and Air Force) position. An example would be a naval officer who manages fuel for all military units in an area or major command.

Q

R

Redleg 

(US) An artilleryman.

Ruptured duck 

(US) The Honorable Service award given to US service members who were discharged under honorable conditions during WWII. Also used to describe the recipient.

S

Scaley, or Scaleyback 

(UK) A signaller. It is suggested that this term comes from the figure of Mercury on their cap badges, who appears to have fish-like scales on his back.

Scrambled Eggs 

(US) The decorations on the brim of a field-grade officer's dress uniform cap.

Sierra Hotel 

The NATO phonetic alphabet abbreviation for Shit Hot. It is considered high praise and is the pilot's favorite and all-purpose expression of approval. For example, "That Sierra Hotel pilot just shot down six MiGs and an ICBM!" This is the "polite" military way to say that something is very impressive, and has fallen into use outside the military.

Shit on a shingle 

(sometimes abbreviated S.O.S.) (US) Chipped beef on toast.

SNAFU 

(US) Abbreviation for "Situation Normal, All Fucked Up"

Stand Tall 

(US) Used as a verb for to be proud, or to present a military appearance.

Sparks or Sparky 

(US) Anyone who deals with radios or things electronic.

Squid 

(US) A US Navy sailor. Sometimes but not always used with derogatory intent.

Stripes 

(US) Enlisted rank insignia, especially above an E-4 (non-commissioned officer (NCO)) pay grade. Get your stripes - to be promoted to an NCO rank.

Swabbie 

(US) A US Navy sailor. A reference to "swabbing the deck", a frequent and highly visible activity of deck division sailors.

T

Tango Mike 

(US) Phonetic Alphabet for "Thank you much."

Tango Uniform 

Phonetic Alphabet for "Tits Up"

• (USMC?) Not in optimal condition. (e.g. The LZ went Tango Uniform before we arrived.) (c.f. FUBAR)
• (US Air Force, T.U.) Dead drunk.

TDY 

(US) Temporary duty; a short reassignment to another duty location, generally for a few weeks or months.

Teflon-coated 

(US) Excellent, especially a piece of equipment.

Those People 

(US) A euphemism used for the enemy forces by Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War. Oddly the term is still widely used.

Throttle-jockey 

(US) A jet aircraft pilot, particularly one with a penchant for speed.

Tommy Atkins 

A generic name for a soldier in the British Army (now obsolete).

Tool 

A soldier

Top 

The First Sergeant, or a Sergeant Major.

V

VC - Abbrevation for "VietCong" used in the Vietnam War

W

X

Y

Z