semper Gumby
n.— «Coasties have one other unofficial motto, borrowed from the Marines—semper Gumby, a reference to the pliant green claymation figure. Semper Gumby is semper paratus reflected off of a funhouse mirror. It’s confidence, professionalism, politeness, adaptability, efficiency and bravery, all warped by resigned frustration. Gumby is flexible, and also bent by other people. Semper Gumby has been notoriously translated by Coast Guard search-and-rescuers as “We have to go out, but we don’t have to come back.”» —“Same Ship, Different Day” by Scott Berinato CSO Magazine May, 2004. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
What if, instead of being an inanimate object, a dictionary were alive? That’s the idea behind a lavishly illustrated new children’s book called The Dictionary Story (Bookshop|Amazon) by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston. This is part of a...
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