Before Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 made “Oscar Mike” (“on the move”) famous, I confess that I’d never heard the expression before. But that’s just one phrase in a rich vocabulary of US military slang.
Website Global Post has a glossary of military terms, some of them appearing within the last decade, some of which would certainly be home in the latest shooter:
“Black” on ammo, fuel, water, etc: Out of ammo, fuel, water, etc.
Charlie Foxtrot: Clusterfuck.
Fast Mover: Fighter jet.
Gun: Not used to refer to a rifle or pistol (military pistols are referred to as “9-mil.”) This is a piece of artillery or a mortar tube.
Kinetic: Violent.
Moon Dust: Used to refer to the dust that covers southern Afghanistan and Iraq.
Pink Mist: Appears around certain types of gunshot wounds.
Rack Out: To go to bed.
Squirter: Someone, probably an enemy, fleeing from a military attack.
Tango Mike: Thanks Much.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: What The Fuck, Over.
If you’ve served in the armed forces, feel free to add more military slang in the comments section below. There are more slang terms courtesy of Global Post in the link below.
US Military Slang Glossary [Global Post via NPR]
Photo: Global Post
Comments
13 responses to “Confusing US Military Lingo Explained”
Go fuck ya self ya BK n00b: I have a small penis.
Whats the point of having a military term for explaining the visual effect of certain gunshot wounds?
To differentiate the emergency of the victim.
Was under the impression that pink mist was referencing the after effects of a head shot when the fine must of blood gets airborne following the exit wound.
I thinkits actually just a way of saying you hit your target or not, eg sniper shoots and the spotter states pink mist to show he hit
I can also refer to what happens when a person is there one second and then there a pink cloud the next.
This list is lacking in TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms).
Fun fact: Until recently, the Woomera Test Range in SA was known as the Woomera Test Facility, and the acronym was used on official documents.
i always found Fucking ridiculous eating device/Field Ration Eating Device (FRED) humorous. No matter how many i used or how tired I was, I still had a small chuckle at every meal time.
Oh yeah, I noticed that when I was given that item to sell. Can’t remember if I sold it or not.
Romeo Oscar Foxtrot Lima Charlie Oscar Papa Tango Echo Romeo Sierra
BZ = Well done
I thought “Whiskey Tango” was white trash.
FUBAR : F**ked Up Beyond All Recognition
BUFF : Big Ugly Fat F**K (B52’s)
Wilco : Will Comply
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix%3AAustralian_English_military_slang
is best for most current slang that the Australian Military uses
Oscar Mike. on move