de-scope v.— «But Pall said the term Watkins wanted was “de-scope,” which means the Navy is taking another look at work needed on the project.» —“Navy Staying With Plant” Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma...
bubble-head n.— «For those who served on board the storied Maryland, the one that survived Pearl Harbor and distinguished itself at such legendary venues as the Tarawa atoll, Leyte Gulf and Okinawa, no submarine can take the place of...
floating area network n.— «You’ve head of WANs (wide area networks) and LANs (local area networks). Now, get ready for a new buzz word: FAN. That’s floating area network. Port Townsend-based Mobilisa, best known for bringing Wi-Fi to the...
augmentee n.— «The transferred personnel are called “augmentees” in Pentagonese. According to the military newspaper Stars and Stripes, the Navy is putting about 10,000 personnel—from enlisted through officer ranks up to...
wig-wag n. a rapidly alternating or strobing warning light. Also attributive. Editorial Note: Often plural, since the lights are rarely used singly. Semaphore flags have long been called “wig-wags” in the Navy, Marines, and other...
Dust Off n.— «The 57th had worked without a tactical call sign, simply using “Army” and the tail number of the aircraft.…Major [Lloyd E.] Spencer decided that this slapdash system had to go. In Saigon he visited Navy...