plankowner n.— «All three were members of the commissioning crew—“plankowners,” in Navy parlance—who worked together on the ship’s surface-to-air missile systems.» —“Former crew members take part in Kitty Hawk’s final voyage” by Steve...
In this episode, Martha and Grant honor winners of the Ig Nobel Prizes, those wacky awards for weird academic research, and they help a caller decipher a puzzling word from a personals ad: what does paratereseomaniac mean?
Budweiser n.— «T. Rafael Lee wore the Air Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and some other decorations, including the Navy SEAL trident commonly called the “Budweiser.”» —“Real heroes don’t take phonies lightly” by...
sandbox sailor n.— «The official term for Navy people in Army jobs is “individual augmentees” but they call themselves “sandbox sailors.”» —“A Long Way From The Sea” by Jennifer Grogan in Camp Bucca, Iraq TheDay.com May 4, 20008. (source: Double...
Noah’s ark clause n.— «She was just in time for the rules to be changed, and women to be allowed to serve on Navy ships. Gilbride was one of two women serving alongside 1,200 men aboard the USS Frank Cable, a submarine fleet support vessel. “They...
OLF n.— «Navy officials announced Tuesday that they were scrapping plans to build a remote airfield in Washington and Beaufort counties. Even longtime opponents were taken aback. Some had fought plans for the outlying landing field—commonly called...