launch basket n.— «To hit these cities, Hamas must fire its rockets from the northeast corner of the Gaza Strip. That area is known in military parlance as the “launch basket.”» —“Israeli troops focus on the “launch...
track v.— «The district police chief’s office, on the third floor of the police compound, is dimly lit; sandbags block the windows. Norris goes over the plan, telling Col. Anan, the chief, how many polling sites his police need to protect...
ground-owner n.— «During the war in Iraq, young Army and Marine captains have become American viceroys, officers with large sectors to run and near-autonomy to do it. In military parlance, they are the “ground-owners.” In practice, they...
march out of one’s feet v. phr.— «We received a cell phone photo message from Duncan. It was a picture of his feet. Silver dollar sized blisters had formed and torn away all over both feet. Blood had soaked his socks and boots. He had, in...
dental casualty n.— «“In Desert Storm there were 35,000 dental casualties,” military parlance for soldiers who could not perform their duties because of problems with their teeth.» —“N.J. units prepare for active duty in...
touch-and-go n.— «Just as he took off a Hercules then reported ready, so we continued to orbit as he carried out his checks and took off. We then needed to allow a few minutes to allow the wake turbulence to subside before we continued...