“If you come to a fork in the road… take it!” Baseball legend Yogi Berra was famous for such head-scratching observations. What most people don’t realize, though, is that the former Yankees star often wasn’t the first...
A San Diego, California, listener shares some slang used by her father, who was a Navy fighter pilot. To “bang off the cat” is to take off from an aircraft carrier. The meatball refers to the landing system that requires lining up with...
An F-18 fighter pilot worries that a term he and his colleagues often use isn’t a legitimate word. It’s deconflict, which means to ensure that aircraft aren’t in the same airspace. Grant reassures him that deconflict is a perfectly...
war-fighter n.— «According to Anderson, improving soldiers” digestive health is a primary concern for the U.S. Army because “war-fighters”-a term used to describe members of all the military branches-have long suffered...
tumpsy n.— «I reckon he lost his rag when one of them shouted “Move along beardy, I can’t get a decent shot of Li-Lo’s tumpsy!”» —“Jay Kay makes late bid for inclusion in next Virtua Fighter game” Star...
Kelly day n. a day off or vacation day taken at a scheduled interval in addition to normal time off or vacation. Also Kelly shift. Etymological Note: It has been claimed as early as 1953 that this term comes from Edward Joseph Kelly, mayor of...