What is a road warrior? Besides being a term for someone who travels a lot or commutes a long distance, it’s also used by some to refer to military personnel who are retired on active duty, also known as R.O.A.D. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “Road Warrior”
Hi, you have A Way with Words.
Hi.
Hi, who’s this?
This is Andy Cosmojo.
Andy Cosmojo?
Andy Cosmojo from where?
From Madison.
From Madison.
Madison, Wisconsin.
Madison, Wisconsin.
Welcome to the show.
Can I call you Joe?
Yes, absolutely.
Okay, Mr. Joe.
How can we help you?
Well, maybe you can solve this debate a friend and I have been having.
It’s about the term road warrior.
Now, I believe the term road warrior means somebody who travels on the road, works on the road.
And he told me that I’m wrong and that a road warrior is a military personnel who’s retired on active duty.
Really?
Yeah.
It can be both things, though, right?
I mean, it could be.
I don’t know that ladder meaning a road warrior.
I don’t either.
A retired military personnel?
Yeah, he says it’s an acronym for retired on active duty.
Oh, interesting.
Road warrior.
I just never heard that.
It’s possible that it exists.
Oh, R-O-A-D.
But outside of military slang, almost everybody, including a million self-help authors who write about how to do your work well.
Road warrior means somebody who travels a lot or someone who commutes to school or work a long distance.
Oh, okay.
So you’re a road warrior.
I am a road warrior, absolutely.
So that means lots of motel rooms and continental breakfasts or what?
How many miles a year do you put on your car?
About 30,000.
That’s, yeah, you’re a road warrior, definitely.
Awesome. Well, good. I’m glad to be a road warrior.
Yeah, I mean, it’s entirely possible for one term to have more than one meaning.
English works that way.
So you and your buddy both can be right.
I’ve never heard his definition of it.
Well, maybe his is a backronym, you know?
Right.
Retired, what is it?
On active duty.
Retired on active duty.
Yeah.
You could see where you could.
I could see how it could be a real term.
I’ve just never, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
I’ve just never heard of it.
Yeah.
But by far and away, the other road warrior, the one that you use, Joe, that’s the more common one.
Oh, excellent.
Yeah.
So congratulations.
You win.
You win English language.
I win.
And as your prize, I give you this gift, language.
Oh, excellent.
I love language.
Thanks for calling.
All right, thank you guys.
Take care.
Okay, drive carefully, Joe.
Bye-bye.
All right, bye-bye.
You want to settle a language dispute?
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