wovit n.— «Years after Zimbabwe’s independence, President Robert Mugabe declares war on the white farmers, causing many to be killed along with their families and black supporters at the hands of squatting War Vets or “wovits” as they are...
post-kinetic environment n.— «Crocker’s performance was memorable for another show-stopping war euphemism, when he referred to bombed-out Iraqi towns as “post-kinetic environments.”» —“The Iraq War’s Go-To...
blood and treasure n.— «As a discussion of the Iraq War grows longer (and more heated), it becomes more and more likely that someone will invoke the phrase “blood and treasure.” This olde-tyme expression, popular with Jefferson and Monroe...
dirt tracking n.— «Ten minutes after the final whistle, the substitutes came out to run around and get the blood pumping; dirt tracking, as it is known. The bench boys have adrenalin coursing through their veins but it has not had an...
soda straw effect n.— «One of the great difficulties of assessing the war is overcoming what some officers call the “soda straw effect,” i.e., having a constricted view during travels but thinking that what you’re seeing...
dabbing n.— «A veteran of the Balkans, this general recalled that his troops had a term for routine, pointless patrols. “Dabbing,” they called it, from the caustic acronym for “driving around Bosnia.”...