A Way with Words

sharking

Posted by Grant Barrett on August 11, 2008 · Add Comment

sharking n.— «Soldiers let each of the drivers go but snapped their pictures and collected information which will be used later to determine if any of the Afghan were involved in what soldiers call “sharking.” “The insurgents have been known to test out what our drills are to see how close that they can come (to [...]

paper boarding

Posted by Grant Barrett on August 4, 2008 · Add Comment

paper boarding n.— «Under the current policy, after 48 months of service E-4s serving in military specialties with shortages are automatically placed on a promotions list. Although a soldier’s name can be removed by his or her commander, each month that soldier’s name is placed back on the list. This was termed “automatic list integration” by [...]

shaky Pete syndrome

Posted by Grant Barrett on June 3, 2008 · Add Comment

shaky Pete syndrome n.— «Frank said that also cigarettes were used in place of marijuana at times because they too calmed the men down from the reality that faced them each day. Even with these so-called “stabilities,” some men faced what was known as “Shaky Pete Syndrome.” This was where the soldiers were so terrified that [...]

spin out

Posted by Grant Barrett on May 24, 2008 · Add Comment

spin out n.— «Equipment rolled out earlier than expected will remain under development until it performs at the original specifications, Terry said. Although other accelerated “spin outs,” as they are called, won’t be announced for a few months, Martin confirmed that officials are looking at the “soldier ensemble,” which includes individual wireless microphones and earphones, and [...]

mouseholing

Posted by Grant Barrett on July 21, 2007 · Add Comment

mouseholing v.— «As part of 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers, attached to the Royal Marines” 3 Commando Brigade in Helmand province, he used his specialist explosives skills to carry out a procedure known as “mouseholing”—getting into buildings by blowing a hole in a wall.» —“Soldier honoured for bravery” by Charles Graham Wigan Today (United Kingdom) July 21, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued [...]

Jerry Springer

Posted by Grant Barrett on April 18, 2007 · Add Comment

Jerry Springer n.— «The American soldiers themselves were aware of how inane many of their night raids were. Back in January 2004, the unit I was with jokingly called their raids “Jerry Springers.” Why? Because the intelligence was often based on unreliable sources who had agendas of their own. “Lots of times it turns out to [...]

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sharking

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mouseholing

Jerry Springer