“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...
Corby in San Diego, California, grew up hearing Navy fighter-pilot slang from her father. A pilot who bangs off the cat launches from an aircraft carrier by catapult, and the meatball is the amber light in the optical landing system that helps line...
Zach, an F-18 instructor pilot calling from China Lake, California, asks whether deconflict is really a word. In aviation, it means to remove a possible conflict, such as assigning different altitudes or positions so two aircraft can share a piece...
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...