Military Slang

&nbsp MILITARY SLANG: For combat efficiency, all military forces have slang and acronyms that they use to discuss weapons systems, bases, opposing forces, etc.

For a more general discussion of slang, click here.

MILITARY SLANG:

"Cooking with Gas": Term used by soldiers when opposing forces are struck by incindiaries or other fire/heat-related weapons. Though used elsewhere, the term is predominantly used on Earth.

'Devil': Used by space fighter pilots, it refers to the need to check the rear quandrants behind the fighter, usually by performing a 180 degree turn without affecting the craft's momentum. It is also used with specifics added. 'Devil Up' means the opponent is behind a fighter and upwards (relative to the craft being warned). In the old days, warplanes referred to this as 'check your six', thus the modern reference as checking behind and up, behind, and below would be 6-6-6.

'Going 11': Term originated in the atmospheric forces of the United States of North America, quickly adapted into most military forces. It means taking a piece of equipment and exceeding its technical specifications--whether that applies to speed, altitude/depth, or anything else. Can also be heard as 'Pushing 11'.

'Making Paperwork': Slang term used pirmarily by Earth ground forces meaning that they are heading into combat or at least expect to fire weapons. All uses of firearms require documentation of ammunition expended, weapons disabled, and numerous other details, not to mention the required filing by officers of 'after-action reports', so that some soldiers joke that an hour of combat is good for creating twenty hours of paperwork.

"Pancake": Pancake refers to an attack on electronic/communication/computer systems, designed to disable those systems competely--flattening them. The term is often used along with 'jam', a more traditional ECM term, but a Pancake is applied on a much larger scale. The military use of this term is significantly different in meaning than with space flight usage.

"SWAG": Short for 'scientific wild-ass guess'. SWAG is necessary when computer lag times are extreme or the computers have been disabled by enemy action or sabotage.

"Vapor Rub": Space pilot term for flying through planetary pollution and particles in the upper atmospheres of planets. The particles can cause electrical problems and surface damage.

"Zip Boomers":Term used by Earth ground forces, referring to supersonic artillery rounds.