kit-bashing n.— «The term for buying a kit and replacing its materials is “kit-bashing.” Kerr said Dellaquila isn’t the only kit-basher in the society; that is, members who order a kit and then throw away much of the materials...
T-patcher n.— «With lethal German 88mm artillery shells raining down, Panzer tanks attacked the 36th’s flanks. The T-patchers, as they were called (their insignia was a “T” on an arrowhead patch), literally engaged in “hand-to-tank”...
hurricane hole n.— «Antigua is, in sailor’s parlance, a “hurricane hole,” which sheltered the ships of Britain’s great naval hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson.» —“Sand ‘n’ sugar” by Betsa Marsh Indiana...
monkey shit n.— «Back in my Navy days, working in Aft Engine Room on an repair ship, we had lots of cables (electric wires) running around—and passing thru bulkheads and into junction boxes, etc. At each point they passed into or thru...
combing n.— «Evading torpedoes, particularly when you didn’t know precisely where they were, often called for what was known as “combing” the torpedo spread. “Combing” consisted of turning the ship to a parallel course with that of the...
Panamax n.—Gloss: a cargo ship built to be small enough to go through the Panama Canal. «The Panama Canal is so important to world shipping that the trade has invented a word to describe ships that will fit through it. A...