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The following are some examples of the slang of the United States Navy, you will also see references to the United States Marine Corps as well because of their use of naval terminology sometimes also referred to as NAVSpeak. Note that in the Navy, many ships and units have nicknames; these are listed separately, in Appendix:Glossary of U.S. Navy slang/Unit nicknames.

Table of Contents: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

“Squashed Bat” Derogatory term describing the Surface Warfare insignia.

F.L.O.B. (Submarine Force). “Free Loading Oxygen Breather”. Description of a lax or lazy sailor on a submarine.

“Riding the vents”. (Submarine Force) Description of a crewmember who does not carry his weight.

0-dark-hundred, 0'dark-hundred (pronounced "oh dark hundred", because the "zero" in time expressions was verbally pronounced "oh" in the US Navy and US Army as late as the 1980s: A slang term for any time between midnight and daylight. Used to convey that the time is when people are usually asleep. e.g. "We have to get up at 0-dark-hundred ." It is not a reference to any particular time.

." It is not a reference to any particular time. 0-dark-thirty, 0'dark-thirty: A slang term that is used to describe that the commencement time of an operation or exercise is after midnight and before daylight; most typically when people would be deep asleep. It is not a reference to any particular time.

13 button salute: When a sailor in dress pants pulls down on the top two corners and all 13 buttons come unbuttoned at once, usually done just before sex.

1D10T: A mythical substance that new Sailors are sent in search of as a joke. Pronounced as "one dee ten tee", "one delta ten tango" or "idiot".

1MC: The General Announcing system on a ship.

1st Division: The division, in most aviation and afloat commands, which is responsible for the material condition and cleanliness of the ship. On ships equipped with small boats, the First Lieutenant or "First" (First Division Officer or Deck Department Head) is in charge of these boats and the sailors who maintain and run them. On small boats, the "First" is in charge of boatswain mates and deck seaman. On larger ships, the "First" may be in charge of air crew. Work for 1st division varies among ships depending on size. Small ships only have one division, while larger ships like carriers or amphibs can have 5 or more. On Submarines the 1st Looey (1st Lt) is usually an non-qual Ensign and he runs "seaman gang" responsible for, among other responsibilities, all the gadgets necessary for handling and storing of mooring lines, materiel condition of Topside (chipping and painting), escape and rescue equipment like life vests and Steinke Hoods back when they were carried. Seaman gang, the 1st Lt's folks, are often non-quals who are e-4 & below with a first class or senior second class petty officer as leading petty officer. When the wardroom is short on baby Ensigns and/or in shipyard overhaul periods the 1st Lt may be a Chief Petty Officer.

2JV: Engineering sound-powered circuit. (Growler)

2MC: Engineering loudspeaker circuit. It's like the 1MC but restricted to Engineering Spaces.

7MC: On submarines this is generally the Ship's Control Comms Circuit (between the OOD on the bridge and Helmsman below in Control.

8 Day Skate: On a four section duty roster there is time where each section finishes duty in the morning and is not on duty again for seven more days. If the first partial day is counted, it’s referred to as the 8 Day Skate, or 8 days without standing watch or duty.

21MC: Ships command intercom circuit, mainly used between the bridge, combat, and flight decks. Also known as the Bitch Box.

2-10-2: A female, perceived to be unattractive otherwise, out at sea on a ship which has many more males than females and who is consequently paid more attention than she would be paid on land. "She was a 2 before going to sea, a 10 out at sea, and back to a 2 when she returned."

2-6-10: Abbreviation of "It's gonna take 2 surgeons 6 hours to remove 10 inches of my boot from your ass." Used to motivate someone who is not pulling their weight.

43P-1: Work center Maintenance manual; prior to OPNAV numbering the current guidance 4790/4(series) it was 43P. The series of books; 43P-1, 43P-2, 43P-3 & 43P-4 were separate books covering all aspects of maintenance. The 43P-2, 43P-3 & 43P-4 books were replaced in the mid 1980's with one book. the new book was a three ring binder, blue in color and had "3-M" all across the front & side. The 43P-1 book containing MIPs stayed in the work center and was a deep red color with 43P-1 across the cover. Officially no longer named the 43P-1, the fleet continues to name and refer to their work center maintenance manual as the 43P-1.

4JG: Communications circuit used by V4 Fuels Division to coordinate flight deck fueling operations between the flight deck and below decks pump and filter rooms. Also used to pass information between a flight deck fuel station and flight deck control as to status of fueling operations for individual aircraft. Found on aircraft carriers and similar vessels.

4MC: Emergency communications circuit that overrides sound powered phone communications to alert controlling stations to a casualty.

5MC: A circuit similar to the 1MC, except that it is only heard on the flight deck of an air-capable ship and in engineering spaces. It is EXTREMELY loud to overcome the jet noise on the flight deck. Do not stand near one of the speakers without hearing protection.

8 (or) 6 boat. Preferred term by Amphib sailors for LCM-8 or LCM-6 boats, as opposed to "Mike" boat.

90 Day Wonder, 90 Day Miracle: OCS graduate (as opposed to a graduate of four-year Naval Academy or ROTC training).

96er: A period of five nights and four days off of work due to special liberty or holiday. Very rarely occurs due to duty.

180° Amnesia: Occurs when a sailor has been deployed and selective memory is desired to deal with questions asked by his or her significant other. "Whatever happens on WESTPAC stays on WESTPAC."

4 acres of sovereign U.S. soil: An aircraft carrier.

A [ edit ]

Abu Dhabi ( used attributively / as an adjective ): Labeled in Arabic aboard a ship; used of any product, but especially soda cans. "We've been home from cruise for 8 months and we still have Abu Dhabi Cokes in the vending machines!" (More common synonym: Hadji .)

): Labeled in Arabic aboard a ship; used of any product, but especially soda cans. "We've been home from cruise for 8 months and we still have Cokes in the vending machines!" (More common synonym: .) Acey-Deucey Club: A recreational facility that serves alcohol for first and second class petty officers, or any Enlisted Club that caters mostly to First and Second Class Petty Officers, but still allows all enlisted personnel. Also, a board and dice game akin to Backgammon. Except you start with all pieces off the board. Also a Variance on the rules.

Action Guy: A SEAL, SWCC, EOD, Diver or Recon Corpsman type. See FAG.

Admin: Aviation,Pre-arranged meeting point, or shared hotel in-port.

Admin Warfare Specialist ( humorous, sometimes derisive ): A yeoman, personnelman or holder of another Navy administrative rating. Used especially of a sailor who does not have a warfare pin.

): A yeoman, personnelman or holder of another Navy administrative rating. Used especially of a sailor who does not have a warfare pin. ADCAP Advanced Capability Torpedo that began life as the Mk 48 torpedo (21 inch diameter) launched primarily by submarine platforms. After the 3rd Mod, advances in computer technology and circuit miniaturization brought about the ADCAP which is a truly remarkable torpedo.

ADSEP: ADministrative SEParation: Release from Naval Service for administrative reasons. (The list of reasons is very extensive and can be found in BUPERSINST 1900.8C, Enclosure (2).)

AD: Aviation Machinist Mate, one who throws wrenches at aircraft and prays to mech gods for a favorable outcome.

AE: Aviation Electrician's Mate

A-Farts: (AFRTS)Armed Forces Radio & Television Service. A-Farts is received via satellite all over the world and offers a variety of shows. Some of the most entertaining offerings are the propaganda commercials it frequently airs since regular advertising is not permitted.

AFTA: Advanced First Term Avionics: Part of the advanced electronics schooling package, reserved for AT's AQ's and AX's for advanced training. Basically, they taught the PO2 exam for 6 months.

A-Gang: The Auxiliaries Division of the Engineering Department. Members are known as "A-Gangers." Also called "Fresh Air Snipe."

Ahead Flank Liberty: The fictitious speed at which a ship travels after a mission or patrol is completed with high marks and the ship is headed into very nice foreign ports that cater to visiting US Forces.

AIMD: Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department. A department on aircraft carriers and Naval Air Stations responsible for maintaining aircraft sub assemblies. On an aircraft carrier, this consists of 5 divisions: IM1 - AIMD Admin, IM2 - Airframes and Power Plants, IM3 Avionics, IM4 Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and Aviation Ordnance, IM5 IMRL.

Air Department: Consists of 5 divisions, usually manned by Aviation Boatswains Mates. V0 Division: Admin offices. V1 Division: Aircraft Handlers on the flight deck. V2 Division: Maintenance of Catapults and Arresting Gear. V3 Division: Aircraft Handlers on the Hangar Deck. V4 Division: Aviation Fuels.

Air Boss: Air Officer. His assistant is the "Mini Boss."

Air Force Gloves: Pockets. Used when a sailor has his hands in his pockets.

Air Force Salute, Airman Salute, Airedale Salute: An "I don't know" shrug of the shoulders. Also called an Ensign Salute.

Airedale: A sailor who works on or around aircraft.

Airstart: (1) An attempt to restart an aircraft's engine(s) after in-flight failure. (2) A blowjob.

Air Wing: The aviation element on board an aircraft carrier consisting of various squadrons.

A.J. Squared Away: (name for) a sailor who is always "squared away," meaning always having a perfect shave, perfectly ironed uniform, spit-shined shoes, haircut with less than 1mm of hair, spotless uniform, etc. Anyone who has been designated with this nickname is most likely a lifer who has no life outside the navy. Compare to "dirtbag." The more derogatory " A.J. Squared the fuck Away " is often used by those that can't attain A.J.'s high standards.

" is often used by those that can't attain A.J.'s high standards. All Ahead Bendix: Attempt more than full speed ahead, e.g. by bypassing limiters or subjecting the engine motors to overvoltage, on the assumption that the risk of defeat would otherwise outweigh the risk of engine damage.

than full speed ahead, e.g. by bypassing limiters or subjecting the engine motors to overvoltage, on the assumption that the risk of defeat would otherwise outweigh the risk of engine damage. All Three Dead: A3D Skywarrior

Alpha Dogs: Refers to Alpha Company, a division of vehicle operators and mechanics within the Naval Mobile Construction Battalions, also known as the Fighting Seabees.

Alpha Inspection: Formal inspection of uniforms and living spaces. Often performed with a white glove and a black sock.

Alpha Mike Foxtrot: Adios, motherfuckers.

Aluminum Cloud: The F-14 Tomcat.

Already Broke: The USS Arliegh Burke.

Anal Palace: The fast attack submarine USS Annapolis.

Anchors and Spurs: The famous dance club at NAVSTA San Diego where many a lonely Navy wife has broken the seventh commandment. Many sailors find this amusing until it happens to them. Also called "Cankers and Sores."

Angles and Dangles ( Submarine Service ): (a reference to) placing a submarine at crazy angles and in crazy positions soon after leaving port, to see if anything breaks loose. Known as "at sea" by the surface Navy.

): (a reference to) placing a submarine at crazy angles and in crazy positions soon after leaving port, to see if anything breaks loose. Known as "at sea" by the surface Navy. "Another Fine Navy Day!": An expression said (in a very cheery manner) on occasions when, in fact, it is not a Fine Navy Day at all. Compare "Living the dream!" in the civilian world.

Anymouse ( adjective ): Anonymous. Used to describe the safety system whereby sailors can drop anonymous recommendations into a locked box.

): Anonymous. Used to describe the safety system whereby sailors can drop anonymous recommendations into a locked box. AO: Aviation Ordnanceman, personnel assigned to Aircraft Carriers, Helicopter Carriers and Aviation Squadrons that store, handle, assemble, transport and load all weapons and drop tanks along with electronic counter measure pods, dispensers and sono-bouys on Navy and Marine Corps aircraft. Other duties include storing and maintaining unit small arms as well as training and qualifying squadron member in their use and the use of deadly force. Aviation Ordnancemen are expected to have a broad knowledge base of the rate and and be able to perform any duties of the rate.

AOCS: Aviation Officer Candidate School; since discontinued pre-commissioning programs at NAS Pensacola, FL and Bremerton, WA that trained both prior service and non-prior service college graduates to become naval officers and to subsequently qualify as either Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers, Air Intelligence Officers, or Aircraft Maintenance Duty Officers - program merged into with Officer Candidate School from Newport, RI in late 1990s and then in the late 2000s moved to NETC Newport, RI.

AOL: Absent Over Leave; Navyspeak for AWOL. See UA, the correct Naval term.

AOM: All Officers Meeting, held for a variety of reasons like training, port calls, mess issues, etc.

Armpit of the Med: Naples, Italy. So called on account of its unique smell and the overall (un)cleanliness of the city.

ASH Receiver: An "ash tray." Newbie sailors are sometimes sent all over base to locate an ASH Receiver as a joke.

ASMO: Assignment Memorandum Orders. Mostly issued in boot camp to set a recruit back in training due to poor performance.

Assholes and elbows: The only things which should be seen by a boatswains mate when deck hands are on their hands and knees holystoning a wooden deck.

Asshole of the Navy: Norfolk, Virginia, home of the fabled "DOGS AND SAILORS KEEP OFF THE GRASS!" sign. The cold shoulders from civilians persist in certain Navy towns. See also "NoFuck, Vagina."

ASVAB: The Navy's enlisted entrance exam. (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)

ASWOC: Anti-Submarine Warfare Operations Center - shore-based briefing/debriefing/analysis/operational control center for VP aviation. See also TSC.

Aviation Queer: The enlisted rating AQ, Aviation Fire Control Technician; since merged into Aviation Electronics Technician (AT).

AW: The enlisted rating previously known as Aviation Anti-submarine Warfare Operator, now known as Aviation Warfare Operator; sometimes preceded by the adjective "fuckin'" by non-aircrew sailors

AWOL: Absent Without Official Leave; this is a US Army and USAF term, not a Navy term, see UA.

AX: The enlisted rating Aviation Anti-Submarine Warfare Technician; since merged into AW rating (often forgotten but masterful to behold).

Aye: Yes (I understand)

Aye, aye: Yes (I heard the order, I understand the order, and I intend to obey/carry out the order). "I understand and I will comply."

B [ edit ]

B1RD: Pronounced: Bravo One Romeo Delta. Nomenclature used to identify a bird to boot sailors. Similar to CGU-11.

Baby Beater: A small sledge hammer

Baby Birdfarm: A helicopter carrier/amphibious assault ship.

Baby Killer: An obscenely large wrench/screwdriver

Baboon Ass: Corned beef. The nickname is based on its color and flavor. See also Monkey Butt.

Back Alley: Card game of trump played by 2 to 4 players (mostly "snipes"). Players are first dealt 1 card each then 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12-13, 13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1. Players bid on the number of tricks to be taken, trump is determined by draw. Score is kept by awarding 3 points for bids made and taken and 1 point for each additional trick. A player unable to make their bid goes set 3 X the bid. Game can be played by partners.

Bag ( noun ): Flight suit.

): Flight suit. Bag ( verb ): To issue demerits at the Naval Academy.

): To issue demerits at the Naval Academy. Bag it: Hit the bricks, take off. "Liberty is down." "Let's bag it."

Bag of Dicks: An unwanted or extremely tedious task, e.g. one that is given one hour before shift change and will require at least 3 hours to complete. Someone who has been given a "Bag of Dicks" has been "bagged," which is quite similar to getting 'sand bagged'.

Bag Nasty: A pre-packaged bag lunch usually consisting of a cold cut sandwich, piece of fruit, and juice box or can of soda. Served at galleys in lieu of regular chow for sailors on the go.

Bagger: A sailor who is chronically late for watch relief. Also known as a "shit bag."

Ball Button: The fourth button down on the new Service Uniforms, so called because it has a tendency to come undone.

Balls O'Clock: Any unspecified time late at night when it is absurd to be awake and having to do things, be on watch, etc.

Balls Thirty: (1) The time 00:30, when there is a security sweep on some bases. (2) Any time late at night that doesn't qualify for Oh Dark Thirty.

Balls to Two: A short watch stood from 0000-0200. Not generally seen outside of Boot Camp.

Balls to Four: A four hour watch technically stood from 0000-0400, though in practice begining at 2345 and ending at 0345. Most commonly seen on a "Dogged Watch" schedule.

Balls To The Wall: see Wiktionary's mainspace entry on the term " balls to the wall "

Bandit: An aircraft which has been positively identified as hostile.

Bar fine: Fee paid to the manager ("mamasan") of a bar (generally adjacent to the former Naval Base Subic, former Naval Air Station Cubi Point, or former Clark Air Base in the Philippines) for letting a "hostess" take the night off. If a longer term "relationship" is desired by both parties, the "bar fine" can be paid in advance as "steady papers." Sex is universally expected, although technically not required. The hostess will expect some entertainment (dancing, dinner, etc.)

Barely Trainable: Derogatory term for a Boiler Technician (BT).

Barney Clark: A slider topped with a fried egg. Also called a "One-Eyed Jack." Named, due to its apparent high cholesterol content, for Mr. Barney Clark, who in 1982 received a "Jarvik" artificial heart.

Barricade, Barrier: The huge nylon net strung across the landing area of a carrier to arrest the landing of an aircraft with damaged gear or a damaged tailhook.

Bar Stool Technician: A term labeled to the former AQ rating, Aviation Fire Control Technician. The rating badge icon looked like a bar stool.

Batphone: A dedicated outside telephone line (not for personal use) typically for shore power or security purposes. Sometimes used to connect CIC to Engineering.

Battle Group (BG): A group of warships and supply ships centered around a large deck aircraft carrier and that carrier's airwing. Usually consists of one cruiser, one supply ship, and one or two destroyers, frigates, and submarines. More recently referred to as a Carrier Strike Group (CSG).

Battle Racks: (term for) when mission-exhausted Aviators are allowed to sleep through General Quarters.

Battle rattle: body armor and helmet.

Battle Stations: A manning condition involving (usually) all hands. Assignments are planned out prior to setting the underway watch and posted in the Watch, Quarter, and Station Bill. Assigned personnel go to their assigned stations to do their assigned task in support of fighting the ship in a battle or when there is a credible threat of attack for which the ship must be prepared to fight against.

Battlewagon: Battleship.

BB: Battleship, class of ship

B.B. Stacker: Crew that handles and maintains the air launched weapons, Aviation Ordnancemen (Red shirts)

BCG's: Birth Control Glasses: Standard Navy-issue corrective eyewear for non-flight crew and non-flight deck personnel. So named because they are so thick and hideous that one is guaranteed never to have sex while one is wearing them. Term has become obsolete due to more normal looking frame choices now offered (outside of enlisted recruit training, at least). (Also known as CGL's — Can't Get Laids.)

B.D.N.W.W.: Broke Dick No Worky-worky. See Broke Dick.

Beer Day: On many navy ships, even in the present day, all hands are given 2 beers if they are underway without a port call for a given period of time — generally 45 days. Both beers are opened when they are given to the crewmember to prevent them from being hoarded.

Beans, bullets, and black oil: Supplies of all sorts needed by a warship.

Bells:

Naval method of indicating the time of day aboard ship, usually over the 1MC. One bell corresponds to 30 minutes past the hour. Bells will only be rung as a single strike, or a closely spaced double strike, with a maximum of eight bells (4 sets of 2). Bells repeat themselves every 4 hours. For example 2 sets of 2 bells, followed by a single bell (5 total) could be 0230, 0630, 1030, 1430, 1830, or 2230. Method of requesting speed changes from the Engine Room using the Engine Order Telegraph (EOT), normally from the Bridge. (example: 1/3, 2/3, Full, Standard, Flank, B1/3, B2/3, BI, BEM)

Benny: A treat or reward, derived from "Benefit."

Benny Suggs: The Navy's Beneficial Suggestions program, a method where DON employees, and Navy and Marine personnel can make suggestions to improve various programs and operations.

Bent Shitcan:

Someone below Naval standards. An angry or particularly unpleasant attitude, such as one might have if their only job onboard was to collect and retain everyone else's refuse, and then on top of that some asshole got mad and kicked him, leaving a big, ugly dent in his side. "We got a new XO and he had an attitude like a Bent Shitcan."

Big Chicken Dinner: Slang for a Bad Conduct Discharge, a punishment awarded to a sailor who has committed a serious infraction of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Big O boat, USS Oriskany CVA34, Also called the Mighty O boat, After the fire of 10/26,1966 she was called the USS Zippo by some.

Bilge Juice: Non-sanctioned alcoholic beverage created while on long deployments by mixing yeast, water and sugar.

Bilge Rat: Someone who works in the engineering spaces. On submarines the bilge rat is usually the smallest non-qual in the division, although bilges are great places for a field day assignment (good for napping) so a senior second class petty officer might call dibs on a bilge.

Bilge Troll: Engine room lower level watchstander; junior enlisted nuke machinist mate on sub.

Bilge Turd: Derogatory term for "Boiler Technician", typically from jealous Machinist Mates who wish they could be as badass as the now extinct Boiler Technicians were.

Bilge Water: Something spoken that is nonsense or ridiculous.

BINGO: Minimum fuel needed to return to base (RTB).

Binnacle List: The daily list of ship's crew who are sick in quarters (see below). So called because in the old days of sailing, this list was posted on the binnacle, the casing that housed the ship's compass.

Bird: Aircraft.

Birdfarm: Aircraft Carrier.

Bitchbox: Intercom or amplified circuit used to communicate between spaces of a ship. (example: 2MC, 5MC, 23MC, 26MC)

Bitching Betty: The recorded or computer generated female voice heard in an aviator's headset when something is not as it should be. She is usually worried about unsafe flight conditions or an enemy threat (e.g. "Pull up!).

Black beret: Worn by Swift Boat and PBR Sailors, originally in Vietnam. The tradition has sporadically been followed by modern small boat sailors. (See "Brown Water Navy.")

Black box: Repair, in primarily for electronic equipment, where an entire card or subsystem is replaced, rather than individual components. As a noun the said card.

Black and Decker Pecker Wrecker ( derogatory ): A female who has orthodontic braces.

): A female who has orthodontic braces. Black gang: A ship's engineers.

Black Hole, The Black Hole: The Navy's main base at Norfolk, Virginia, so called because "it's where sailors' careers go to die."

Black Pants: An enlisted sailor below the rank of E-7 (Chief Petty Officer). So named because of the black and khaki working uniform. See also "Blue Shirt."

Black Shoe: Sometimes shortened to just "Shoe." Term used to describe shipboard or 'surface' officers and senior enlisted members, due to the black footwear worn while in khaki uniform. See also BROWN SHOE

Blanket Party: A beating administered to someone whose head has been covered with a blanket (to prevent that person from identifying the attackers), in boot camp (and usually at night), because the individual is perceived to have harmed the group by not being squared away.

Blivit (or Blivet) ( derogatory ): A person who is full of shit; ten pounds of shit in a five pound sack. Often starts bullshit stories with 'believe it or not'

): A person who is full of shit; ten pounds of shit in a five pound sack. Often starts bullshit stories with 'believe it or not' Blowing the ___ Fleet: Performing oral sex on a prostitute (in reference to the fact that said prostitute may have had sex with the entirety of the named fleet). "You just blew the 7th Fleet."

Blowing Shitters: An act by which an HT uses straight firemain pressure on a clog in the sewage line (CHT/VCHT) that cannot be removed by ordinary means. Normally a last resort, yet used more often than not, that when not done properly causes one hell-of-a mess… especially on CHT lines when some unfortunate soul is on the crapper when the full force of the firemain comes through.

Blowing a Shitter ( Submarine Service ): Inadvertently "flushing" a toilet (see "Shitter," below) while San Tanks are being blown overboard by charging the sanitary tank with enough air pressure to overcome sea pressure; this could be a considerable pressure if the boat is deep which is costly so it's usually a housekeeping evolution at periscope depth.

): Inadvertently "flushing" a toilet (see "Shitter," below) while San Tanks are being blown overboard by charging the sanitary tank with enough air pressure to overcome sea pressure; this could be a considerable pressure if the boat is deep which is costly so it's usually a housekeeping evolution at periscope depth. Blue Falcon: (Also known as a "Bravo Foxtrot") Slang term for "Buddy Fucker", also, "Noble Order of the Blue Falcon" for those who are true masters of Blue Falconry.

Bluejacket: An enlisted sailor below the rank of E-7 (Chief Petty Officer).

Bluejacket's Manual: The handbook of seamanship issued to recruits.

Blue Roper (also: Blue Rope): A sailor that is in training to be a Recruit Division Commander, so called because of the blue rope they wear on the right sleeve.

Blue Side: The figurative side one is stationed at if one is stationed at a Naval Command; contrasted with the "Green Side" (Marine Corps Command).

Blue Shirt: Aviation Boatswain's mate, usually seen chocking and chaining birds to the deck. Precursor to Yellow Shirt. Same as Bluejacket, referring to the blue utility shirt worn by those personnel.

Bluenose: An individual who has crossed the Arctic Circle.

Blue Dick: The Navy, AKA (I've been f-ed by the Blue Dick again)

Blue on Blue: (1) Fratricide, friendly fire, so called because blue is the color associated with friendly forces during "workups" and exercises, while the fictional enemy country is usually orange. (2) ( in port ) A girl-on-girl stripper scene, porn scene, etc.

) A girl-on-girl stripper scene, porn scene, etc. Blue Tile: An area of the aircraft carrier on the starboard main passageway, O-3 level, where the Battle Group (now called Carrier Strike Group) admiral and his staff live and work. As the name implies, the deck is indeed blue tile there. Passing through, especially by junior enlisted sailors, is highly discouraged. During wartime, armed guards may be posted on both sides of the blue tile. Pictures of bare-assed drunken aviators standing on the blue tile during port calls are highly prized keepsakes.

Blue Water: Deep water far from land. Only larger, self-sufficient ships can operate on these waters. Also called the "high seas." See "Brown Water."

BMOS: Big Man On Ship: Often refers to the ship's Captain. The closest civilian equivalent is BMOC (Big Man On Campus).

BMW: Big Maine Woman: One of the large women in the Brunswick/Bath Maine area who like to pick up sailors from the former Naval Air Station Brunswick or pre-commissioning destroyers at the Bath Iron Works in local bars.

Boat:

Boats list (lean to the inside of a turn), Ships heel (lean to the outside of a turn). "Turn to Port, heel to Starboard" Word passed from the bridge to PriFly indicating a turn and to warn the flight deck crew of deck angle changes. A water craft small enough to be carried on a ship (ships themselves may only be called boats by members of the crew who have completed a deployment). A submarine (submarines are called boats, with only limited exceptions).

Boat Goat: A female sailor onboard a ship.

Boat Boo: A sailor’s girlfriend or boyfriend aboard ship, usually during deployment, and often an arranged affair between two married sailors.

Boat School: Nickname for the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapolis, MD.

Boats: A sailor in the Boatswain's Mate rating or the Aviation Boatswain's Mate rating, or the ship's Bosun or Air Bosun, the latter usually a CWO or LDO.

B.O.C.O.D: "Beat Off Cut Off Date": The date prior to returning home from a deployment on which a man should stop masturbating in order to save himself up for his wife or girlfriend.

Bogey: An unknown aircraft which could be friendly, hostile, or neutral.

B.O.H.I.C.A.: (Bend Over, Here It Comes Again). Often used when situations, as can be normal, repeat themselves but more often when you just know you are about to get it again from the Command.

B.O.H.I.C.A Key — Naval Air Station Key West was located on Boca Chica Key, Florida.

BOHICA Boat — Derogatory name for USS NIMITZ (CVN-68) BOHICA our screws never stop. A ship's bumper sticker was authorized by the CO and were printed by the thousands until the CO found out what BOHICA meant. Circa 1981.

Bolter: Failed attempt at an arrested landing on a carrier by a fixed-wing aircraft. Usually caused by a poor approach or a hook bounce on the deck, this embarrassing event leads to a go-around and another attempt to "board."

Bonnie Dick: USS BONHOMME RICHARD * (CV/CVA 31, LHD 6)

Boomer: Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN)

Boomer Fag: Crewmember of a Ballistic Missile Submarine (SSBN)

Boondockers: The standard workday steel-toed boots.

Boondoggle: An inefficient meeting, event, or evolution; one that it is more fun than productive. Telling the LPO you're going up to the calibration shop for awhile but head up to the roach coach instead? That's also a boondoggle. "Shithead is on a boondoggle again."

Boopdiddley: All-purpose, virtually meaningless expression, used as an exclamation i.e. "Boopdiddley!" or " Aw, Boop!" (1974)

Boot Camp: Term used to refer to the eight week basic training course held at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois. Can also refer to a green or inexperienced sailor, officer or enlisted person, e.g. "Boot ensign."

Boot Chief: Nickname given to a Chief during their first year as a Chief. Only used Chief to Chief.

Booter ( usually derisive ): Any sailor who has very little time in, or a lot less time than the speaker.

): Any sailor who has very little time in, or a lot less time than the speaker. Boot Topping: Black paint used to paint the water line on ships.

Booty Cigar: A bowel movement, particularly a very long one.

B.O.S.N.I.A.: Big Ol' Standard Navy-Issue Ass (from the apparent widening of the hips due in part to the cut of the working uniforms)

Bosun's Punch: New sailors on ship are sometimes assigned to find this mythical tool in the office of one of the ship's Bosuns (Boatswain). The sailor is then typically punched very hard in the shoulder by the Bosun in question.

Bottom blow:

To open valves in the mud drum to allow boiler pressure to force accumulated sludge out of the boiler. To take a shit.

Bounce Pattern: When several aircraft are practicing touch and go landings at the same airfield.

Boxing your coffee: Using two paper cups and pouring back and forth to mix creamer and/or sugar.

Box kicker: Supply clerk.

Box of Rocks: Derogatory term for more than one sailor that has performed their work in an unsatisfactory manner.

Brain Fart: A condition when, under stress, one cannot recall or perform something that would normally be easy or second nature.

Brain Housing Group ( chiefly in the USMC ): A skull.

): A skull. Branch: Lowest organizational level in most naval commands. Below department and division.

Bravo Bozo: Derisive term that is the opposite of Bravo Zulu. Given for something done poorly. Also used when a sailor gets a BZ from the command, shipmates will call it a Bravo Bozo award.

Bravo Zulu: Originally, "BZ" was a signal meaning "Well Done." It is sometimes used by seniors praising subordinates in one form or another. ([1])

Breakaway Music: Music played over the 1MC after "breaking" away from an oiler following UNREP. Can be outdated classic rock that was never really popular in the first place, or cool music, depending on the ship's commanding officer. It is played to "motivate" the crew after an UNREP, VERTREP, etc. Usually played at a level that would normally get you a ticket in town and is so distorted as to make it impossible to identify the song.

Bremerlo: A husky (large) female. Derives from Bremerton, Washington, where there is a base at and around which such females are common. The name is a concatenation of Bremerton Buffalo described as weight a 'bremer-ton'.

Bremerton: How much a Bremerloe weighs.

Brig: Jail.

Brig Chaser: The sailor who escorts a prisoner to the brig.

Broke-dick: Technical term describing malfunctioning or inoperable equipment. Example: "The fuckin' aux drain pump is fuckin' broke-dick."

Brown bagger: Married sailor who brings his lunch from home in a paper bag.

Brown Nose: Sailor trying a "little too hard" to make rate by sucking up to superiors. Can also refer to those who wear khakis (Chiefs, Officers) since it is assumed that most have "brown-nosed" to obtain their present position. Mythical rates include "Chief Brownnose" and "Brow Nose First Class." Also known as a "Butt Shark."

Brown Shoe: Term used to describe aviation community officers and senior enlisted members, due to the dark brown footwear worn with khaki uniforms and aviation winter working green uniforms.

Brown Trout: Occurs when some Hull Tech blasts the sewer lines, causing raw sewage to be disbursed onto the decks of lower level berthing areas. Called that for the fact the turds could look like a rumpled brown fish.

Brown Water: Shallow water close to land; littoral water in which smaller ships can operate. Sometimes specifically: the portion of Vietnam where Navy patrol boats operated.

the portion of Vietnam where Navy patrol boats operated. Brown Water Navy (Sailor): Any Sailor who operates a small boat in inshore areas.

Brown Water Puddle Pirate: Affectionate name given to the US Coast Guard by their brethren blue water sailors.

Bubble (or The Bubble):

The edge of passing or failing at something, or "the fence": when someone is on the edge of passing or failing at something, or is undecided, that person is "on the bubble." (Submarine Service) The indication of the ship's angle fore and aft. The Diving Officer of the Watch (DOOW, pronounced "Dive") controls the angle on the ship by various means. The original ship's angle gages were liquid filled glass tubes with an air bubble that indicated the trim angle. If the angle becomes too large, he will be ordered "mind your bubble." In rough weather near the surface, maintaining the angle on the ship can be very difficult. When the Dive can no longer control the angle on the ship by the means at his disposal, he is said to have "lost the bubble." (3) The area on an aircraft carrier where the Catapult Launch Officer sits. So called because it is raised only a few inches above the flight deck and has angled windows. (4) (in the expressions "have the bubble" and "lose the bubble") A grasp of the situation; understanding or control of what is going on.

Bubblegummer: A newbie or young sailor just out of boot camp or school.

Bubblehead: A sailor in the Submarine service.

Budweiser: Nickname for the SEAL Trident insignia.

Buddy Fucker: Someone who fucks over their shipmates, and who is not to be trusted with any information or watch swap.

Buffer Tech: A junior enlisted who polishes the deck with a buffer, a duty normally assigned to shore duty personnel or those attending "A" School.

Bug Juice:

The Kool-Aid-like beverage dispensed on the messdeck, in the CPO Mess, the Officer's Wardroom or the Flag Mess. Typically Orange or Red. Before the turn of the century, bug juice was also used to clean decks when cleaning agents were not available. It is still used for removing corrosion from brass fittings. Allegedly also because the powder used to make the juice attracted bugs. (USMC) A 50/50 solution of Skin-So-Soft & alcohol used during drill to repel sand fleas at Paris Island.

Bug Juice Sunrise: Orange with a splash of Red.

Building 1: USS Brooke (FFG-1), so called because she had so many problems with her P-fired boilers that she was regularly unable to get underway from her long-occupied berth at NAVSTA San Diego. When she did get underway she was typically towed back in, whereupon she was referred to as "USS Broke".

Building 20: Derogatory term used to describe the U.S.S. Mt. Whitney (LCC-20), as it rarely goes to sea.

Building 36: The USS Bryce Canyon (AD-36). Home ported at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, she left port only on rare occasions (so her crew could collect sea pay); when she did, she had to be towed back in.

Building 39 ( 1990s-era Norfolk slang ): The USS Emory S. Land (AS-39). So called because, during that time period, she rarely left port.

): The USS Emory S. Land (AS-39). So called because, during that time period, she rarely left port. Building 38: The USS Puget Sound (AD-38).

Bulkhead: Wall.

Bulkhead remover: A fictional substance veteran sailors often task new sailors with getting, as a joke.

Bull, Bull Ensign: The seniormost Ensign onboard a surface ship, a submarine, or in an aviation squadron other than in the Training Command. This Ensign is charge of various wardroom duties, often including mentoring the juniormost Ensign (see "George") and setting up the wardroom's movie night while at sea. Originated during World War II when Admiral "Bull" Halsey designated one officer to oversee wardroom functions.

Bull Nuke ( Submarine Service ): The senior most enlisted nuclear sailor, usually the Engineering Department Senior Enlisted Advisor.

): The senior most enlisted nuclear sailor, usually the Engineering Department Senior Enlisted Advisor. Bullet Sponge: U.S. Marine.

Bully Big Dick: The USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). The name is a corruption of "Bully Big Stick", the Roosevelt's shipboard news program.

Bumfuck, Egypt: The middle of nowhere; an out-of-the-way duty station.

Bun: A sexually active female sailor.

Burn (verb):

To smoke a cigarette. (as "burn a copy") To make a xerox copy of a document or sheet of paper.

Burn a flick ( verb ): To watch a film while underway.

): To watch a film while underway. Burn holes in the sky ( verb ): To fly monotonous patrol flights over a given area.

): To fly monotonous patrol flights over a given area. Burnbag: (1) One of the red-and-white-striped paper bags which are used to hold classified material meant for destruction. (2) An underperforming Cryptologic Technician or "CT" Shitbag.

Burn Run: An organized evolution to dispose of the material stored in burn bags.

Busted: Reduced in rank as a result of Captain's Mast.

Buster: Proceed at max possible speed.

"Bust Me on The Surface" ( Submarine Service ): An expression used when a subordinate strongly disagrees with an order given by a superior (who may be under heavy situational pressure) and the subordinate takes actions which are correct but counter to the order. The expression references the disciplinary action which could result in the fresh air of safety that would not be reached if the original order were carried out. Rarely used.

): An expression used when a subordinate strongly disagrees with an order given by a superior (who may be under heavy situational pressure) and the subordinate takes actions which are correct but counter to the order. The expression references the disciplinary action which could result in the fresh air of safety that would not be reached if the original order were carried out. Rarely used. Butt Kit: Ash tray. Aboard a ship, it is a can with a hole in the lid, usually hung from the bulkhead near watch stations.

Butt Puckering: A term used to describe a harrowing or scary experience. "It was a Butt Puckering experience."

Butt Shark: A Sailor who is obviously brown-nosing in hope of receiving favorable evaluations.

Butter Bar: The single gold bar on the khaki uniform of an Ensign (Navy) or 2nd Lieutenant (USMC) By extension, an Ensign, or any new officer fresh from OCS, the Naval Academy, or NROTC.

C [ edit ]

CA: Cruiser, Attack, Class of ship, a heavy cruiser.

Cadillac: A mop bucket, usually with wheels and a wringer. See also "Swab."

CAG: Title used when addressing the carrier air wing commander. It is a holdover from the days when air wings were called air groups and stood for Commander Air Group. Can also refer to the air wing itself, as in CAG-1, CAG-5 or CAG-14. See "air wing."

Cal PO: Calibration Petty Officer: Collateral duty position, typically filled by the most junior and inept sailor in a division, responsible for ensuring a division's test equipment is delivered to the cal lab on time.

Carl Prison: "America's Favorite Carrier," the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).

Captain's Asshole: The XO. In general, the CO makes policy, the XO enforces it, hence the name.

CASREP: Casualty Report: Report to higher authority something which is inoperative, OOC (out of commission), and the impact on readiness. Often jocularly applied to broken minor items not requiring any report, or to personnel who are on the binnacle list . Also applied to those who have been killed.

. Also applied to those who have been killed. CAVU: Ceiling and Visibility Unlimited: Perfect flying weather.

CF (pronounced Charlie Foxtrot): clusterfuck.

C-GU11 (pronounced "See-Gee-You-Eleven"): Seagull. Similar to the code for "bulkhead remover." A common joke is to ask inexperienced personnel on watch to "keep an eye out for signs of C-GU11s in the area, over." Sometimes spelled C-6U11, Z-6UL1 or various 1337-like combinations.

Cake Eater: An officer

Canoe Club: The U.S. Navy.

Canoe U: United States Naval Academy

Captain's Mast: Navy term for non-judicial punishment under Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Depending on the rank of the commanding officer involved, the name of the procedure may change to Admiral's Mast, OIC's Mast, etc. "Mast" for short.

Cannon balls: Baked, candied apples served to midshipmen at the Naval Academy on special occasions. Twelve are served per table. If one person at the table is willing to eat all 12 apples and succeeds, that person is given the honor of "carry on" (lack of harassment by upper classmen) for the remainder of the semester.

Carrier Strike Group (CSG): See "Battle Group."

Carry on: An officer's reply to a junior person's call to "attention on deck", meaning all present rise and come to attention as a sign of respect. "Carry on" allows personnel to continue whatever they were doing. Also see "cannon ball."

CC: Cruiser, class of ship.

Cell Block 70: The USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), so called on account of her never ending berthings and overall resemblance to a prison.

CG: Cruiser, Guided Missile, class of ship.

CGN: Cruiser, Guided Missile, Nuclear, class of ship.

CGU-11: Nomenclature for a Seagull to boot sailors. Usually used as part of a goose-chase.

Chancre Mechanic: Corpsman.

Channel Fever: Anxiousness, felt when approaching port, to get leave. It is sometimes cured by a "Channel Fever Shot," a slap or kick to the backside.

Chaps: Chaplain.

Checks Five-Oh: Excellent, in proper working order. Things can also be repaired and gotten into proper working order and then referred to as "checks five-oh." Derives from the 5-point evaluation system used in the navy, in which a score of five is given to individuals who perform exceptionally well.

Check Valve: A person who "does for himself or herself, but not others." None of the goodies get past that person. Similar to a real check valve which only allows fluid to go one way.

Chem Wipe: Also known as Kim-Wipes, though they bare no resemblance to the far more delicate Kimberly-Clark product. These are heavy duty paper towels purchased in bulk, and are used in every cleaning situation imaginable.

CHENG: Chief Engineer. (Pronounced much like Chang and used as the officer's name.)

Chicken-catch-me-fuck-me: Chicken Cacciatore.

Chicken Switches ( Submarine Service ): Switches in the overhead above the Dive Officer's station that release 4500 lb air into the main ballast tank, initiating the Emergency Main Ballast Tank blow (EMBT blow) causing the tanks to fill with air and the submarine to rise to the surface in a real hurry. Sometimes, engineering drills may cause the sub to go near test depth (the depth the submarine has been tested to); this may be caused by a delay in recovering the reactor, or many other reasons. If the Dive Officer (or whoever has the Con) blows the tanks, they were "chicken" — afraid of sinking.

): Switches in the overhead above the Dive Officer's station that release 4500 lb air into the main ballast tank, initiating the Emergency Main Ballast Tank blow (EMBT blow) causing the tanks to fill with air and the submarine to rise to the surface in a real hurry. Sometimes, engineering drills may cause the sub to go near test depth (the depth the submarine has been tested to); this may be caused by a delay in recovering the reactor, or many other reasons. If the Dive Officer (or whoever has the Con) blows the tanks, they were "chicken" — afraid of sinking. Chief: Title given to enlisted personnel who have achieved the rank of E-7 and who have completed their transitional training and indoc.

Chilly Willy: USS Curtis Wilbur DDG-54

Chit: The document a sailor fills out to make various types of special request (i.e. for emergency leave, or to move off base to civilian housing). A "My Wife Chit" is a special request that uses one's wife as an excuse/justification for needing to be absent.

Chit Chipper: Paper Shredder. So named because one can't do anything without a chit, especially one that is "lost in routing"

CHT Tank/Shit Tank/Chit Tank: Collection, Holding and Transfer system, which collects all ship's shower and toilet runoff/sewage until such time as it can be pumped or dumped.

Chokers: Service Dress White Uniform worn by Officers and Chiefs.

Chop: Supply Officer. Taken from the Supply Corps' porkchop-shaped insignia. (Submarine)

Chow: Food.

Chow Boss: Food Service Officer.

Chow down: Eat.

Chow Hall: Dining room.

Chowdale: An airwing member who spend all their time in line for chow, holding up others who actually have things to do.

Chub Club: The mandatory physical training to which sailors are assigned if they are overweight.

Chuckie V: The USS Carl Vinson.

Chuck Wagon: (yet another name for) the USS Carl Vinson.

ChuHai: A Japanese alcoholic beverage made by mixing sake and the equivalent of Kool-Aid. Can be bought in most Japanese convenience stores or at a ChuHai stand in the Honch.

ChuHai Stand: One of two standing-room only drinking establishments in the Honch. Named for the affordable alcoholic beverage it sells to junior sailors and contractors, ChuHai.

CINCHOUSE: Commander-in-Chief of the House. Used to refer to a sailor's spouse. Also COMHOUSE, COMHOME, CINCHOME, HOUSEPAC, etc.

Cinderella Liberty: Liberty that expires at midnight.

Circular firing squad/circular ass-kicking: An attempt by all command levels to find someone/anyone to blame for a problem for which no one wants to take blame.

CIWS: Close In Weapon System. Jocularly re-interpreted as "Christ It Won't Shoot" or "Captain I Was Sure." See "R2D2." Pronounced "See Whiz."

CIVLANT/CIVPAC: Home, or where you go to when you leave the Navy.

Civie cut: A civilian haircut worn by males who live around military towns to distinguish themselves from military personnel. Usually just an inch or two longer than what military allows, but enough to let the females know who's who.

CL: Cruiser, Light, class of ship

Clap Line: Line of men in front of sick bay which often forms shortly after pulling out of a foreign port where women provide sexual services to sailors (at cost). The Clap Line consists primarily of men who are waiting to get treated for venereal disease.

Cleaning Stations: An hour-long field day evolution in which everyone drops what they're doing and cleans their spaces. See "XO's Happy Hour."

Clobbered: of a landing pattern or comms frequency at a field or ship: filled to capacity, such that one can't get an aircraft or a word in edgewise.

Cluster Fuck: The situation which arises when a group performs some task in a severely disorganized manner, usually with poor results. Also, any person or thing that is in a state of general disarray: "That kid is a walking cluster fuck." Can be indicated using the NATO phonetic "Charlie Foxtrot" for "CF." More severe than a Goatrope, but not as severe as a Monkey and a Football.

CNO: Chief of Naval Operations. The Navy's senior admiral and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

CO: Commanding Officer. The head of a ship, submarine, aviation squadron or shore command; usually no lower in rank than a Commander, often a Captain, the Commanding Officer is in charge of most of the everyday things that happen on board the ship, in the squadron or aboard the shore installation, from corporal punishment (Captain's Mast) to common everyday maintenance, and upkeep of the ship, squadron or shore command. The Commanding Officer usually wears a special pin on his pocket designating him Command Afloat, or Command Ashore.

COB ( Submarine Service ): The senior chief aboard: The Chief of the Boat.

): The senior chief aboard: The Chief of the Boat. COC: Chain of Command: The hierarchy of officers a sailor takes orders from, the order in which supervisors are in charge. Goes from lower ranking (Seaman, Fireman, Airman) to higher ranking (LPO, LCPO) up the chain of command.

Cock-ologist: Corpsman (derived from a 1980s Coca Cola commercial having a Coke-ologist).

COD: Carrier Onboard Delivery: The C-2 Greyhound, which ferries people and supplies to and from a carrier on a regular basis.

Coffin Locker: A personal storage area located underneath a sailor's rack.

Cold Shot, Cold Cat: A catapult launch from a carrier in which insufficient speed is attained to generate lift. Often fatal for the aircrew if they do not eject in time.

Color Company: The recruit company in boot camp that maintains the highest score through the entire eight week evolution; they are given three days special liberty unmonitored. Color Company is also given the honor of being the first company to Pass in Review if there is not a Hall of Fame Company that graduates Boot Camp at the same time.

COMMO: Communications Officer: The officer in charge of the Communications Division. Usually the most junior officer aboard ship.

Commodore: Historically, the designation given to a one-star admiral (presently called Rear Admiral Lower Half). Presently, "Commodore" is the unofficial title of a Captain (O-6) in charge of a squadron of ships or submarines, a wing or group of the same type of aircraft, or a group of SEAL Teams.

COMNAVSNACPAC, COMNAVSNACLANT: A sailor who stores a lot of junk food in their rack. "PAC" refers to the Pacific Fleet and "LANT" to the Atlantic.

COMNAVWIFEPAC: A male sailor's wife.

Comp Time: Compensation Time, time/days off during week for shore-based sailors who had weekend assignments, above and beyond mere watch-standing.

COMRATS: Commuted rations pay.

Coner (pronounced "Cone-er") ( Submarine Service ): A submarine crewman who is not part of the engineering department (see "Nuke"), especially a Torpedoman, because such crewmen are stationed in the forward cone of the Sub and are pretty much prohibited from wandering into the rear engineering spaces. Also known as "Forward Pukes" (as opposed to "Fuckin' Nukes") or "M.U.F.F.s" ("My Up Forward Friends"). Long-hand as Clean Only, No Education Required.

): A submarine crewman who is not part of the engineering department (see "Nuke"), especially a Torpedoman, because such crewmen are stationed in the forward cone of the Sub and are pretty much prohibited from wandering into the rear engineering spaces. Also known as "Forward Pukes" (as opposed to "Fuckin' Nukes") or "M.U.F.F.s" ("My Up Forward Friends"). Long-hand as Clean Only, No Education Required. Constant Bearing Decreasing Range (CBDR): A term used to indicate that an object or ship viewed on radar, or visually from the deck or bridge of one's own ship is getting closer but maintaining the same relative bearing. Without a change of course, this will ultimately end in a collision. CBDR is also used as a warning to shipmates heading into trouble or danger (not necessarily physical collision) they might not see or be aware of.

Connie: Nickname for USS Constellation CV64.

Constipation: Derogatory name for USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64).

Corpsman Candy: Sore-throat lozenges handed out at sick bay in lieu of any substantive treatment. Sometimes accompanied by two aspirin.

Cover: Term for any sort of headgear worn with a uniform in USN, USMC and USCG

Countersunk Sailor: A female sailor.

Cow: A refrigerated fixture in the galley that dispenses something like milk.

CPO: Chief Petty Officer. Often refers to all chiefs, E-7 through E-9.

CPO Spread:

(Submarine Service) The world's most useless and uncomfortable rack sheet. Once thought to be solely for the elite khaki club, it is in fact a very cleverly disguised spy tool for a chief or officer to see if sailors have been sleeping (by checking for "Rack Burn"). Weight gain apparent in senior enlisted men and women who have taken desk jobs.

Cracker Jacks: The dress blue uniforms worn by sailors below the rank of E-7.

Crack House: A designated smoking area aboard ship that is not a weatherdeck space. So called because it quickly fills with a haze of smoke. Also called "Crack Shack."

Crank:

Penis. (also called a "Mess crank"; see also "Mess cranking"): A mess deck worker,E-3 or below, assigned to mess deck duties. Generally each division must supply a sailor on a rotating basis. May also refer to a new transferee assigned to the mess decks while qualifying for a regular watch. The term has always been discouraged, despite its frequent use. (3)Arcane Main propeller (screw) shaft, "whatever turns your crank." (Whatever makes you happy.)

Crapper: A toilet, see also shitter and pisser.

Crash & Smash (team): Permanently assigned flight deck firefighting personnel. Also, a game played by aviation personnel involving several long tables and a great deal of beer, wherein the aviators attempt to replicate with their bodies the arrested landings their aircraft make.

Crazy Ivan ( Submarine Service ): A maneuver, demonstrated in the movie The Hunt for Red October , used by Russian submarines: It involves quickly turning 180 degrees while underway, so as to see if any enemy (American) submarines are following. Collisions occasionally resulted.

): A maneuver, demonstrated in the movie , used by Russian submarines: It involves quickly turning 180 degrees while underway, so as to see if any enemy (American) submarines are following. Collisions occasionally resulted. Creamed foreskins: Creamed chipped beef. See also "SOS," "Shit on a Shingle."

Crotch crickets: Scabies or lice.

Crowd Killer: An aircraft which holds 14+ crew (typicaly no passengers). Origins in the P-3 Orion Sub Hunter/Killer community.

Crow: The eagle which adorns the Petty Officer rank insignia.

Crow happy: Newly appointed petty officers that are drunk with rank, think they are in charge, and can order subordinates around.

Crow's Foot: A device placed on a valve wheel to aid in opening or closing the valve due to it being extremely hot or hard to turn.

C.R.U.D.: Corrosion products found in reactor coolant. An acronym for "Chalk River Unidentified Deposits."

Cruise: A ship deployment from her home port, usually lasting between 5 and 8 months.

Cruise boo: A sailor's underway spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend. Typically not the same person as the sailor's ashore spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend (i.e. one or both of the sailors is currently in a relationship/marriage with a person not stationed on the ship).

Cruise sock: A sock, sacrificed early in a deployment, which one uses to clean up after one masturbates. It is usually kept under the mattress and can stand up on its own by the end of cruise. Also called an "Underway Sock" or "Happy Sock."

Cruise widow: A sailor's wife. See also WESTPAC/LANTPAC widow. May frequent enlisted/officers clubs upon her husband's deployment, assuming her husband is similarly engaging in infidelity during deployment.

Cryppy, Cryppy Critter: Cryptographer.

CSO: Combat Systems Officer: Officer responsible for maintenance of a ship's combat system (gun, missile, radar, command control and communications systems).

Cum Dumpster: A shameless sycophant. A kiss-ass or a military base whore.

Cumshaw: The art of trading something that doesn't belong to you, to someone, for something that doesn't belong to them, not necessarily for personal gain, but to circumvent regular supply channels, or to obtain something not available through supply channels.

Cunt: A tear drop shaped piece of metal placed in the bottom loop of sail rigging to keep the rope from chaff wear during tie-down of open sails. i.e. "cunt ring".

C.U.N.T.: (1) Currently Unqualified Naval Trainee. (2) Civilian Under Naval Training. (3) Control Unit No-go Test.

Cunt Hair: A very small unit of measurement, used when eyeballing something. "How much more till the pipe is in place?" — "Oh, about a cunt hair." A "red cunt hair" is a slightly smaller unit of measurement. A "Royal Cunt Hair" is the finest unit of measure.

Cu Shing: The sound of shit when it hits the fan. Derogatory name for USS CUSHING (DD-985), especially with the Commodore embarked.

CVN 7 on 2: The USS Abraham Lincoln CVN-72. A play on words that hints at the escapades her crew may have been involved in.

CWO:

Chief Warrant Officer (W1–W5): A "Super Goat," a highly qualified senior enlisted (E-7/E-8) person who has earned a commission through a competitive process and continues to work in their technical field. By definition, a technical specialist. Communications Watch Officer.

D [ edit ]

Dago: San Diego or Diego Garcia.

Dammit: Proper way to read an exclamation point quietly. "You are a shitbag!" becomes "You are a shitbag, dammit."

Dain Bramaged: The USS Bainbridge.

Danger nut: A "fun" game in which one or more sailors place a washer or nut around a rod or similar metal device and then hold it to a steam vent. The washer or nut spins wildly due to the high pressure of the steam. Once it reaches a high enough speed, the rod is turned so that the steam blows the object completely off the rod and likely at another sailor, who then has to dodge the "danger nut."

D.B.F.: Diesel Boats Forever: (marking on an) unauthorized pin showing a non-nuclear submarine.

DD: Destroyer, class of ship. Originally a Torpedo Boat Destroyer, then later, just Destroyer.

DDG: Destroyer, Guided Missile, class of ship.

Dear John (or Jane) Letter: A letter (or nowadays, e-mail) that a sailor receives in which his or her significant other breaks up with or leaves him or her whilst the latter is deployed.

Deck: Floor.

Deckplate: Derogatory term for the lowest worker.

Deck Plate Leadership: That level of leadership greatly appreciated by commanding officers and the ward room: Enlisted personnel who know what needs to be done, how to do it well and right, and who are able to lead the people working for them to get the job done. This is the expected norm in the United States Navy.

Deck Ape: Non-designated enlisted person serving on the deck force.

Deep Six:

Term for throwing something overboard; refers to the "deep six", the lowest fathom (six feet) before the ocean floor. Has been mostly replaced by Float Checking (see below). To permanently dispose of something as if it never existed. Example: if told to "Deep Six" a piece of paper you would burn or shred it instead of just throwing it away (round filing or file thirteen).

Delta Sierra: "Dumb Shit": A stupid mistake or poor performance, the opposite of "Bravo Zulu."

Department: Highest organizational level in most naval commands. Common departments are combat systems (combination of some operations/weapons department divisions) supply, admin, deck, engineering, operations, and maintenance. These are broken up into divisions.

Dependopotamus: Term used for overweight dependents of sailors.

Desert Duck: Helo that delivered mail in the Persian Gulf during Operation Earnest Will. Usually it was gray, loud and smoking when it landed.

Deuce and a half: a 2.5 ton truck.

Dickbag: "douche bag" or "dirt bag."

Dick Skinners: Hands. "Get your dick skinners off my white hat." Other terms include: Peter clamps, Meat hooks, Dick beaters.

Dicking the dog: Putting "half-assed" effort into a task. (Refers to improperly securing the "dogs" on a watertight hatch when passing through. Such a lax procedure could spell doom for a sinking ship if hatches were not absolutely watertight.) Also said as "poking the poodle" or "screwin' the pooch." Not to be confused with "screwing the pooch" which refers to royally messing up a task.

Dicksmith ( derogatory ): A hospital corps member.

): A hospital corps member. Diddy Bag: Small white cloth bag with a drawstring. Issued in boot camp, used to store loose items, shoe polish stuff, etc.

Diddy Bopping: Walking around with no particular purpose.

Diggit:

Term used mostly by disgruntled Nukes to refer to an "A.J. Squared Away" sailor. Utterance of the term is usually accompanied by the McDonald's tune followed by "I'm diggin' it" instead of "I'm lovin' it." A multi-tool (aka Gerber, Leatherman, etc), while not authorized to perform ANY maintenance, is nonetheless carried by most engineers in Reactor spaces.

Dilbert: Fictional and clueless cartoon character used in WWII era training material to demonstrate what NOT to do in naval aviation. Dilbert often paid dearly for his ignorance, lack of attention to detail, or carelessness.

Dilbert Dunker: Device used in water survival training ("swims") to teach aviators how to get out of the cockpit of a fixed-wing aircraft that has crashed or ditched at sea. Much easier than the dreaded "helo dunker."

Di-LDO: (Direct input Limited Duty Officer) Term students use for a loathed LDO instructor. Some Instructors at Naval Nuclear Power School are Limited Duty Officers, but are commissioned immediately upon completion of college, as opposed to LDOs that have spent time in the enlisted ranks. These Direct Input LDOs have not spent time "in the fleet"

D.I.L.L.I.G.A.F: (Do I Look Like I Give A Fuck?), A term indicating supreme indifference; "Gaffer." Can also have a second F added to the end, when used in this context it means " Do I Look Like I Give A Flying Fuck? "

" Dimed/Diming out/Dropping dimes: Comes from dropping a dime in a pay phone to make a call. To throw someone 'under the bus', or to out someone as being the one who did something wrong or made a bad call. Usually done to avoid getting in trouble at the expense of someone else. Example: Chief Coffeedrinker: "Why did you do this? You know that is unauthorized." AMAN Nobody: "AM3 Schmuckatelli said to, Chief."

Dining-in/Dining-out: Social functions, usually for officers and chiefs, where dinner dress is worn and certain "rules of the mess" are followed. Generally presided over by the Executive Officer (XO) and run by a Chief or Junior Officer (JO) called "Mr. Vice," these events can become quite rowdy and raucous. The difference between the two is that significant others may attend dining-outs. Dining-ins are for the service-members only.

Dinner plate for Marines: The front buttoned flap on enlisted dress blues. See crackerjacks.

DinQ: Delinquent in Qualifications, or some other admin requirement, "on the dinq list for tetanus shot..."

Dipper: An anti-submarine helocopter with a variable depth dipping SONAR. See "Dome."

Dipsy Dumpster: what a shitbag sailor crawls out of, before going up to quarters, watch, liberty, etc. "You look like you just climbed out of the dipsy dumpster, Seaman Timmy!"

Dirtbag: A term often used by an annoying lifer who has no life outside the navy to insult a sailor for having a few wrinkles in his uniform, having missed a spot while shaving, having a small spot on his uniform, having hair barely touching his ears, etc. Compare to "A.J. squared away" above.

Dirty Boat Guy: The nickname Dirty Boat Guy or "DBG" is associated exclusively with the US Navy's Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman. SWCCs are more commonly referred to as Special Boat Teams or “Boat Guys.”

Dirty-dick: To rub genitalia on someone’s cup or soda can as an act of retribution or to be funny; see also "cock swab."

Dirt sailor ( not pejorative ): A person who primarily works ashore in a camouflage uniform (e.g. in the expeditionary forces). Not used to describe a SeaBee.

): A person who primarily works ashore in a camouflage uniform (e.g. in the expeditionary forces). Not used to describe a SeaBee. Dirty-shirt wardroom: (Aircraft Carrier): Forward wardroom immediately below the flight deck for pilots wearing (sweaty) flight gear and working ship's officers. As opposed to formal ship's wardroom.

DISBO: Disbursing officer on ship.

Ditch: To intentionally crash land an aircraft as "gently" as possible — usually into the water. This is generally done when fuel is almost all used up with no hope of making it to a safe landing area, or when a slowly developing but potentially fatal emergency is going on.

The Ditch: The Panama Canal.

Ditch Wog: A sailor who has passed through the Suez canal or Panama canal, but has not become a shellback.

Ditty-bop: A Radioman or Cryptologic Technician Collection (CTR), from the sound of Morse code. Also "ditty chaser."

Division: Middle organizational level in most naval commands, below department and above branch. Usually headed by a junior officer (JO). Common divisions are powerplants, airframes, 1st Lieutenant, etc... Divisions are sometimes divided into branches or work centers.

DIVO: Division Officer.

Ditty bag:

Any mesh bag, but so named because usually used to contain soiled laundry. A container (usually zipper-closed) for toilet articles such as soap, razor, shaving cream, deodorant, etc; especially for expeditionary sailors. ;dop kit; douche kit.

Dixie Cup: The canvas white hat sailors wear with their dress uniforms.

DIW: Dead in the Water. No longer moving through the water, which means rudder control is lost as well. Often the result of a serious engineering casualty. Can also be used to describe the status of a person whose plan has gone awry. "The MPA signed his chit for an extra three days of leave in San Dog, but the Cheng wouldn't let him go, so now he's DIW."

DLG: Destroyer, Leader, Guided Missile, class of ship.

DLGN: Destroyer, Leader, Guided Missile, Nuclear, class of ship. All of these were later designated as Cruisers.

Doc: Nickname and term of respect given to Hospital Corpsman by their shipmates and Marines.

Dock jumpers: The unfortunates who would have to leap ashore to tie up when no "line handlers" are available.

Dog:

A soft-serve ice cream machine (named because the chocolate flavor resembles the excrement of man's best friend). Also called an "auto dog." A pivoting latch, usually one of several, for locking down a water-tight hatch.

Dog and Pony show:

A special show put on for inspecting senior officers. Apocryphally, a show in which women have sex with dogs and ponies: Sailors may claim to have witnessed such shows in Tijuana or the Philippines.

Dog watches: The 1600-2000 evening watch is customarily split into two two-hour "dog" watches, so that the watch sections rotate rather than being stuck with the same schedule every day. Also permit everyone to get evening chow at a reasonable hour (although First Dog watchstanders usually find the better chow is all gone).

Dog zebra: Closing fittings or doors for light discipline at night.

Dolphins ( Submarine Service ): Submarine Qualification Device, called dolphins because of the dolphin fish used in the design.

): Submarine Qualification Device, called dolphins because of the dolphin fish used in the design. Dome: A SONAR transmitter/receiver. It may be fixed, as in those mounted on the bow of a ship below the waterline, or mobile like those "dipped" by anti-submarine helocopters.

Donkey dick:

A helicopter and/or fixed-wing refueling nozzle. "Grab the donkey and fuel the bird." "Go grease the donkey dick." (Submarine Service) The head valve indicator (a rod which shows if the snorkel's intake valve is open), the hose fitting used for the towed array sonar, or anything else that is roughly round and longer than it is wide; these items have very limited use--one specific evolution--and therefore could also refer to a sailor with only one skill or is qualified on only one watch station. "That donkey dick is about as useful as tits on a boar hog." A concrete vibrator used to remove air bubbles. A hot dog or sausage. A spout connected to a 5 Gallon fuel can.

Donut: A floating device used to store oily waste pumped out of the bilges in port.

DOR: Disenroll at Own Request, Drop at Own Request. To drop out of a voluntary program such as aviation or submarines.

Douche down: To wash, usually using fresh water.

Double Digit Midget: A short-timer, someone who is less than 100 days from retirement, EAOS, or being discharged to civilian life.

Double Nuts: Aircraft flown by the squadron or air wing commander, typically has "00" (zero zero) painted on the nose and also printed on routing slips for correspondence.

Down: Not working, out of commission, broken, "broke-dick." In aviation, non-flyable, usually for maintenance reasons. When applied to an aviator, it means not allowed to fly. This can be for a variety of reasons: Medical, personal, disciplinary, etc. In flight training, a down is a failed flight.

DRB (Disciplinary Review Board): Step in the NJP process in which the accused attempts to prove his innocence by being screamed at for 2 hours.

Drift Count: Monitoring the movement of the ship while at anchor.

Drifty: Lacking the ability to stay focused while attempting to perform a given task. (Petty Officer to Sailor: "is there something the matter with you? You are acting drifty today!")

Drill Rodeo: A game in which a screwdriver is inserted head first into drill where bit should go and battery is removed. The trigger is taped down and once someone holds the end of the screwdriver, the battery is slapped in and the player must attempt to hold on to the screwdriver for as long as possible. Best used with higher voltage drills.

Drifter: Sailor who at all times lacks the ability to stay focused. Also called drift-pack, or in the very extreme case "COMNAVDRIFTLANT/PAC", a parody of COMNAVSURFLANT/PAC.

Drop a Chit: The act of filling out a request chit.

Drop your cocks and grab your socks: A saying that the petty officer of the watch yells in the sleeping quarters when it's time for everyone to get up. Often done in boot camp. Alternatively, "stop your grinnin' and grab your linen."

D.U.B. (Dumb Ugly Bitch): woman enrolled in the Naval Academy

Ducks ( Submarine Service ): The time 22:22. Refers to the resemblance of the numbers in a digital display resembling a line of ducks. At times, ducks will be marked by the ship control team (Diving officer of the watch, Helmsman, Planesman, and Chief of the Watch), sonar shack (Sonar Supervisor, Broadband, Narrowband, Class), and fire control team (Fire Control Technician of the Watch). "Stand by to mark ducks ... Mark. Quack Quack Quack Quack." Leave it to Bubbleheads :)

): The time 22:22. Refers to the resemblance of the numbers in a digital display resembling a line of ducks. At times, ducks will be marked by the ship control team (Diving officer of the watch, Helmsman, Planesman, and Chief of the Watch), sonar shack (Sonar Supervisor, Broadband, Narrowband, Class), and fire control team (Fire Control Technician of the Watch). "Stand by to mark ducks ... Mark. Quack Quack Quack Quack." Leave it to Bubbleheads :) Durka ( used attributively / as an adjective, derogatory ): Related to the Middle East.

): Related to the Middle East. Dynamited Chicken: Chicken a la king or chicken cacciatore.

E [ edit ]

Eagle Shits ( noun + verb ): "the eagle shits" = "the military pays (me) today", "today is payday."

): "the eagle shits" = "the military pays (me) today", "today is payday." EAOS: Expiration of Active Obligated Service.

Easter Egg Hunt: An especially rigorous investigation or inspection in which the inspecting officer seems unduly motivated to find everything wrong he possibly can, even if it ridiculous--"The XO held an Easter Egg Hunt at Messing and Berthing today." Sometimes used as a threat of punishment or retribution - "Do what I told you to do or I may have to hold an Easter Egg Hunt in your locker."

EAWS: Enlisted Aviation Warfare Specialist. (Often pronounced "A-wis.")

EB Green: Green duct tape acquired from Electric Boat in Groton, CT; can be used to fix almost anything, temporarily.

EB Red: Extreme, nuclear grade version of EB Green. Conforms to MIL-STD-2041D to prevent corrosion to nuclear components.

Ed's Motel: Navy filmmakers' acronym for Editorials, Motion Picture and Television Department.

EIDWS: Enlisted Information Dominance Warfare Specialist.

Elephant Scabs: Veal Parmesan. A.K.A. Veal Wheels.

Emerald Shellback: One who crossed the Equator at the Greenwich Meridian.

Emergency Blow: When a sub rapidly blows all of the ballast out of the ballast tanks, resulting in a rapid ascent and an impressive display as the sub breaks the surface.

EMO: Electronic Materiel Officer, line officer or electronics CWO or LDO responsible for maintenance of the unit's radar, radio, and command and control equipment. Extra Man Onboard

Enlisted Puke: Derogatory term used sparingly and very privately among junior officers to describe a particularly worthless and disliked enlisted subordinate. The opposite of a highly respected and particularly valuable "Good Man." "Gadoozlefrank is an enlisted puke. Schmuckatelli is a Good Man."

ESWS: Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist. (Often pronounced "E-swas.")

Eternal Patrol: The last and still on-going patrol of a submarine lost at sea. The subs and the sailors are on eternal patrol.

Evil Planet Notorg: Groton CT. (Notorg is Groton spelled backwards.)

Evolution: Any scheduled event.

EWO: Electronic Warfare Officer.

Eyeball liberty: Ability to see but not interact with something pleasurable, especially members of the opposite sex; For example, male sailors may joke that they have eyeball liberty ogling a boat full of women while exiting port, or in view a port itself where no actual liberty is allowed.

F [ edit ]

FAG: (1) Fighter Attack Guy: F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet pilot or naval flight officer ("NFO"). (2) Former Action Guy: Any SO, SB, EOD, ND, or FMF Recon Corpsman or any other parachute-qualified member who is in a position where they cannot maintain their jump quals, or goes into a different warfare community. (3) ("Submarine Service") Forward Area Gentleman: A crewman serving in the forward part of the submarine, a non-Nuke.

Family Gram: A 40-word personal communication from the family members of an Officer or Sailor on a Strategic Deterrent Patrol assigned to a Fleet Ballistic Missile (FBM) submarine. Each crewman was allocated a limited number of these messages during each 3-month patrol and they were severely censored to protect the submariner from news that could negatively effect the emotional condition of the recipient. All Family Grams were screened by the CO/XO upon receipt, prior to distribution to the individual. A similar system was used for surface ships.

Fan Room (see "X-Ray fitting"): (1) A room with a fan or blower, A "closed" space which is often utilized for general mischief away from watchful eyes.

F.A.W.C.U. (pronounced "fuck you") ( Submarine Service ): Focused After Watch Clean Up, usually between 1 to 2 hours of "Field Day" after every watch rotation.

): Focused After Watch Clean Up, usually between 1 to 2 hours of "Field Day" after every watch rotation. Fart sack: Canvas mattress cover (In cold conditions sailors sleep inside them for extra warmth.) or a dirt sailor's sleeping bag.

Fart Suit: Dry suit worn by aviators when flying over cold water. So called because of the rubber seals at the neck and wrists which keep water out in the event of water entry. These seals also keep all flatulence inside the suit, where it remains hot and mixes with ball sweat, pitstink, and various other foulness. This foul air is released by removing the suit, or more amusingly by pulling one of the wrist seals open while squatting and pointing at an unsuspecting individual, thus forcing all the stench in his direction.

Farting dust: Getting old.

Fashion Show: A series of individual personnel inspections conducted in each uniform the sailor owns. Usually this form of Extra Military Instruction is reserved for the most severe dirtbags who are either consistently failing uniform inspection or look like crap on a daily basis.

FASOTRAGRULANT/PAC: Fleet Aviation Specialized Operational Training Group, Atlantic and Pacific. Specialized training for Aviation Administration (AZ) and Aviation Anti Submarine Warfare Operators (AW) ratings.

Fast Cruise: Pretending to be underway while moored to a pier. Usually an all day event to get the crew ready for a real underway.

Fat Boy: Derogatory term for Amphibious Ships used by bridge officers on cruisers and destroyers. "We better slow down or the fat boys won't be able to keep up."

Fat boy program: FEP (see below).

FEP: Fitness Enhancement Program. Mandatory physical training regimen designed to return sailors to within physical readiness standards. Also refers to sailors who are enrolled in the program... Fat Enlisted People / Forced Exercise Program. See "Chub Club."

FF: Frigate, class of ship.

FFG: Frigate, Guided Missile, class of ship. also,"Forever Fucking Gone", A frigate which spends more time underway than in port.

Field Day: All hands clean-up. Usually lasts on a good day about 3-4 hours. (30 min of cleaning and 2-4 hours of fucking off.)

FIDO: Fuck It! Drive On! An expression used in the face of adversity, meaning that regardless of the setback you are going to continue anyway!

Field expedient ___: Anything that is made or done ad hoc in the field. E.g. a "field expedient Frappuccino" might be made by putting all the MRE coffees, sugars, and creamers into a 2-liter bottle and mixing.

Field Survey: The nominal survey taken before discarding a worn-out item "in the field" (often off the end of the pier) instead of submitting it for a proper, formal "survey" to determine if it should be redistributed or disposed of. (Sometimes, a field survey results in an item being handed down to a needier local unit, thrown off the fantail at sea, or sold ashore for booze money.)

F.I.I.G.M.O.: Fuck It, I Got My Orders: A refusal of a long or tough assignment near the end of a duty rotation. Also seen as a name badge at this time, so officers/petty officers will forget the wearer's real name.

FIG: An FFG is called a FIG.

Fighting gear: Eating utensils.

Five by five: nonstandard Radio speech indicating "loud and clear." Derived from an arcane method of reading signal strength.

Five and Dimes: A watch rotation where the sailor or watch team stand five hours of watch, then have ten hours off (to clean, perform maintenance, train, get qualified, conduct drills, take care of divisional business or their collateral duty, eat, shower, and occasionally sleep). This follows from a three-section watch rotation, and results in the sailor standing watch at a different time every day and night, repeating every three days.

Fish ( Submarine Service ): See Dolphins, above. Also "torpedo."

): See Dolphins, above. Also "torpedo." Fit Boss: Officer designated by the Commanding Officer to be responsible for the command Physical Readiness Program. Can be a collateral duty for a commissioned officer or more frequently, a civilian contractor's primary duty.

Flag, Flag Officer: Rear Admiral (Lower half) and higher ("flag" rank, because they are entitled to show a flag with an appropriate number of stars on their car, ship, building, etc.) A person with such a rank can also be referred to by number of stars they have; so a "three star" is a Vice Admiral, and so forth.

Flag Deck, Flag Bridge: Command level on large ships for Admirals if they are present, see Flag.

Flare to Land, Squat to Pee: Navy pilot's derisive description of aircraft landing technique used by (primarily) Air Force aviators; used in comparison to the nerve-wracking controlled crash that is the typical carrier landing.

Flattop: Aircraft carrier. Also the haircut worn by truly motivated sailors.

Flavor Extractor: Standard equipment in all Navy galleys.

Fleet Up: When a second in command takes his senior's place upon that senior's transfer, retirement, or other re-assignment.

Flight Deck Buzzard: Chicken (food).

Flight Line: The area on a ship or station where aircraft are made ready for flight. Also used as a prank on gullible new sailors, as in "Go get me 100 feet of flight line from the crash shack."

Float Check (also Flotation Testing, Float test): Throwing something overboard. "Take that and give it the float test"

Floating Bellhop: Derisive Army term for sailor.

Flying the Bravo: Menstruating; from the signal flag, which is all-red, one meaning of which is "I am discharging dangerous goods." Also used to indicate one who is in a bad mood "What's wrong with him?" "Oh, he's just flying the Bravo"

Flux capacitor: New members of a CVN's MMR will be sent to retrieve the "flux capacitor" from the OOW in the reactor control room. A flux capacitor ran the time machines, particularly in the car, in the Back To The Future movies...

Forecastle: (Pronounced "foc-sull") Forward most part of a ship.

forecastle zoo: Game of naming everything on the forecastle which has an animal name, e.g. "Bull nose," "Wildcat," "Pelican hook," "rat guard, rat lines," "deck Apes."

Foc's'le Follies: A gathering of all the aviators in the airwing in the carrier's foc's'le (forecastle). The CAG, ship's CO, and battle group admiral are also usually invited and present. The "official" reason for this event is to hand out awards to the top aviators. The most enjoyable parts are the "roll calls" from each squadron, and the skits that two or three of the squadrons perform. If the roll call or the skit fails to amuse the rest of the airwing, the offending squadron is booed and belittled mercilessly. Follies are held about every 6 to 8 weeks while on deployment.

FM: Frequency modulation, or Fucking Magic, sometimes referred to as the FM Principle

FNG: Fuckin' New Guy — self-explanatory

FOAD: Acronym, Fuck Off And Die, traditional response to MARF see below.

FOD: Foreign Object Damage. Caused by Foreign Object Debris, such as nuts, bolts, or anything that could be sucked into a jet engine, damaging it. At aviation commands, FOD can also describe a worthless individual, i.e. "If Airman Smith isn't in this shop in 5 minutes, write that piece of FOD up."

FOD Walk Down: A periodic, organized search on an aircraft carrier flight deck or hangar deck looking for debris that a jet engine might ingest. The OIC of this evolution is sometimes referred to as "the FOD-father."

Four (4) by Eight (8) Watch: The worst watch section to be in because one's first watch is 0400 to 0800, then one works one's duty station until 1600, followed by second watch 1600 to 2000, every day. Note, on some ships, the 0400-0800 is the 0400-0700, see "Seven to forever" below.

Fourballs: Midnight, entered as 0000 when writing logs; The "Fourballs watch" is midnight to 0600 when underway on a submarine, using a 3 person x 6 hour shift, 18 hour rotation "day" for each watchstation. Most engineering daily chores are performed on the 0000 watch, after which one is relieved at 0530 for chow, followed by drills at 0700, chow at 1200, followed by drill review at 1300, collateral duties at 1500, chow at 1700, followed by the 1800 watch; a very long "day" underwater — 24+ hours. The Sub equivalent to the Four by Eight watch mentioned above.

Freeball: To wear no skivvies.

Freeboard: On a ship or boat, this is the vertical distance between the waterline and the "gunwale" (see below).

F.R.E.D.: Fucked Up Ridiculous Educational Device: The computer that graded the teletype capabilities of those going through Radioman "A" School. So called because it used to grade based on keystrokes rather than words per minute.

Fresh Water Navy (derogatory) members of the US Coast Guard.

Fried Calamari: A sailor who has been electrocuted. This term derives from the nickname "squid", meaning "sailor."

Fried horse cock: Fried baloney.

Frocked: Advanced in rank or rate with no pay increase. See BOHICA.

Frog Hog: A female who hangs around Navy SEALs.

Fruit Salad: Numerous ribbons on a dress uniform.

FTN: Fuck the Navy (common epithet used when complaining about naval policies or regulations). Often scrawled on the walls of toilet stalls by sailors who have been assigned to clean it for a reason. Also can refer to "Free The Nukes," referring to sailors in the nuclear power field. Also refers to a mythical rate or ship type an "FTN Striker" says he/she is trying to get in (i.e. Fleet Tug-Nuclear, Fire Technician-Nuclear). Also stands for "Fun Time Navy" around higher chain of command to save face in front of said chain of command, yet "secretly" means "Fuck the Navy." In nuclear commands, can sometimes be seen as KEY when over-nuked (the last letters of the same three words are used.)

FTN Striker: Sailor whose stated goal/desire is to get discharged.

F.U.B.A.R.: Fouled up beyond all repair, Fucked up beyond all recognition. (Foobar)

F.U.B.I.J.A.R.: Fuck You Buddy, I'm Just A Reservist

F.U.B.I.S.: "Fuck You Bitch I'm Short": Slogan indicating lack of care since the one uttering it or wearing it will be leaving soon.

Fuhgowee's: Code word for ditching work and going home at lunch time, so as not to be suspected by PO1, Chiefs, etc (used in Newport News Drydock). Sailor 1: "What are you having for chow?" Sailor 2: "Fuhgowee burger sandwiches."

Fulmer: A sailor that desperately tries to win various games (ping pong, pool, etc.), but does not have the skills to compete successfully.

FUNGUS: Fuck You, New Guy, You Suck.

F.U.P.A. (pronounced "foop-uh"): Fat Upper Pelvic Area: The buldge that protrudes from ill-fitting pants worn by an overweight sailor, or by extension, the sailor him- or herself. (When describing a female, it may stand specifically for "Fat Upper Pussy Area"; when describing a male, "Fat Upper Penis Area.")

FuckingNuke ( always one word ): A sailor who is trained to operate the boat/ship nuclear power plant.

): A sailor who is trained to operate the boat/ship nuclear power plant. Fuckface: Any person or thing which has a face.

Fuck the mission, clean the position: Break out the swabs.

Fuck You, strong message follows: Seen on a numerical list of epithet substitutions (the unauthorized "Falcon Code," derived from the "Charlie Echo" code), especially transmitted over radio, which has to stay clean

[A] Full up round: Operational or ( of a person ) fit for duty, a fully operational projectile to be fired from a gun.

) fit for duty, a fully operational projectile to be fired from a gun. Fun Boss: Morale, Welfare and Recreation Officer.

F.U.R. ( derogatory ): Fucked Up Recruit: A boot camp recruit who constantly makes mistakes.

): Fucked Up Recruit: A boot camp recruit who constantly makes mistakes. Fuzznuts: A young sailor, one not long out of puberty.

G [ edit ]

Gaff Off: To ignore or purposely fail to show proper respect to someone more senior, such as by blowing off an assigned task, by not saluting, or by using improper forms of address.

Garden Party: A semi-formal social gathering requiring dress whites from the waist down and dress blues from the waist up.

Gator: Gator Navy vessel or sailor. Or, the ship's navigator.

Gator-Freighter: A ship used in amphibious warfare, or generally the transportation of Marines and their equipment, especially, a carrier-like vessel (amphibious assault ship) whose primary purpose is to put ass in the grass.

Gator Navy: The part of the surface Navy that exclusively supports embarked Marines and amphibious operations. Conducts operations near shore. Contrast with the "Blue Water" Navy or "CRU-DES." Note, an amphibious command ship may also coordinate supporting arms from non-gators, such as destroyers or aircraft.

Gator squares: Putting a square on a chart, often 3 miles by 3 miles, in the middle of a body of water, and steaming around in it for hours. Common overnight activity for ships underway. "Do we have any nighttime evolutions this underway?" "No, just gator squares."

Galley: Crews' mess, or dining area. Place where food is prepared for consumption.

GCE: Gross Conceptual Error, an instructor's comment on student work wherein the student has clearly misunderstood a concept.

Gear adrift: (1) ( said when there is ) loose or unsecured gear or equipment. (2) ( said of ) an incompetent sailor, one who has a screw loose. "Seaman Jones is gear adrift !"

) loose or unsecured gear or equipment. (2) ( ) an incompetent sailor, one who has a screw loose. "Seaman Jones is !" Geedunk: (1) Candy, or a place that sells candy (namely Gedunk bars). (2) Ice cream. From the Harold Teen comic strip. From the sound that a coin makes when put into a candy machine.

comic strip. From the sound that a coin makes when put into a candy machine. Geedunk-a-donk: A huge jiggly ass acquired from eating too much geedunk.

General Quarters (GQ): Set to prepare a ship for battle or during a serious casualty such as a main engineering space fire. Every sailor has an assigned duty station to be manned; the ship is set for maximum water tight integrity. On submarines, the term "Battle Stations" is used.

George: The juniormost officer onboard a surface ship. Also spelled "JORG", meaning Junior Officer Requiring Guidance, or "JORGE," meaning Junior Officer Requiring General Education.

George jobs: Nit-picking paperwork jobs given to George because no one else wants them. Examples: Morale Officer, Mess Officer.

Gerbil Alley: Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates. The only guaranteed port visit during any deployment.

Gerbil Gym/Gerbil Room: Exercise space on board ship with treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical trainers — all pieces of equipment on which one performs motions that should move one to another place, though one remains in the same position like a gerbil on its wheel.

"GFO": Goat Fuck Operation.

Ghetto: Open-bay barracks, usually reserved for single sailors who are in transit or otherwise temporarily assigned there.

G.I. Shower: In boot camp the recruits are inspected frequently. If they are found to have soiled clothing as a result of not showering, several of the company will take the recruit into the barracks shower and scrub the persons bare skin with floor broom heads.

Gigged: Having suffered a point deduction in Boot Camp for an unsatisfactory personal, uniform, or bunk or locker inspection. Deduction is usually one to five points per infraction, depending on the severity.

Gig line: The visual line formed by uniform zipper, belt buckle, and buttoned shirt seam. Also used as another in-joke to send new sailors on a wild goose chase. See bulkhead remover .

. Girl Scout: A sailor with an inordinate amount of decorative patches on spotless poopysuit, or a sailor regarded as overly concerned with appearance; a dandy.

Girl Scout Training Aid: A complete pepperoni (a sausage roughly 1-2 inches wide and 2-3 feet long).

GITMO: Guantanamo Bay Naval Station.

Glow worm: A surface fleet name for nuclear machinist's mates.

Goat Fuck Operation: A situation in which every possible aspect fails or goes "sideways". Not a single aspect is successful.

Goat locker: A lounge or galley for the exclusive use of "Chiefs."

Goatrope: A confusing, disorganized situation often attributed to or marked by human error.

God, Junior-Grade ( derisive ): A superior.

): A superior. Gold Crow: A 12+ year PO1 with good behavior. Very rarely, a PO2 (due to changes in high year tenure), which leads the question of how somebody can screw up that badly and still call it "good" behavior.

Gold Locker: A locked cabinet in the Engineering Spaces wherein the most valuable, precise, fragile, or one-of-a-kind tools are kept. "I could have fixed it but I don't have a key to the Gold Locker."

Golden Dragon: A sailor who has crossed the Prime Meridian or the International Date Line into the Eastern Hemisphere.

Golden Shellback: A sailor who crossed the International Date Line and Equator at the same time.

Golden rivet: The rivet, made of gold, which according to folklore every ship is built containing one of.

Golden Screwjob: Used when a sailor has 12 years or more of honorable service, and, for reasons unknown, does not have his Gold rank device. A Golden Screwjob is never spoken of when the sailor in question is within hearing range.

The Goo: Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). When an aviator flies an aircraft into the clouds, can no longer see the earth or the horizon, and is dependent on instruments for navigation, he is said to be "in the goo." This is usually done intentionally when flying with an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plan, but can lead to high "pucker factor" when it is done accidentally.

Good Deal ( Submarine Service ): When a sailor receives an assignment that is viewed by others as better than theirs, despite the fact that this may not be the case. This includes missing underways/deployment for reasons of life-threatening illness, terminal disease, or the death of spouse/children. "Did you hear that Steve got hit by a drunk driver last night? He broke seven ribs, his left femur, and is on a ventilator. They are pretty sure there is no brain damage, but they have him in a medically-induced coma until then. Looks like we're down a mechanic for deployment — Steve got the good deal."

): When a sailor receives an assignment that is viewed by others as better than theirs, despite the fact that this may not be the case. This includes missing underways/deployment for reasons of life-threatening illness, terminal disease, or the death of spouse/children. "Did you hear that Steve got hit by a drunk driver last night? He broke seven ribs, his left femur, and is on a ventilator. They are pretty sure there is no brain damage, but they have him in a medically-induced coma until then. Looks like we're down a mechanic for deployment — Steve got the good deal." Good Humor Man: Reference to the Summer White uniform. This is an all-white short sleeve uniform that makes the wearer look suspiciously like the ice cream man.

"Got your six": looking out for your or your buddy's ass.

Gouge: The inside scoop, the skinny, the low-down. Only the information one needs to know in a given situation, with nothing else to waste one's time. Some black shoes say "Live by the gouge, die by the gouge." Aviators say "Live by the gouge, excel by the gouge."

Grape:

(Submarine Service) Easy as pie, man. Examples: "This is fuckin' grape duty." "That was a fuckin' grape sig, you cocksuckin' asshole piece of shit." The latter example can be translated as "Bravo Zulu, shipmate!" (See Bravo Zulu, above. Also see "sig" below.) (Aviation Service) A sailor in an aviation fuels rating; so named because of the purple flight deck jersey such sailors wear. USMC: A person's head. "....then you smash his fucking grape!"

Great Mistakes: Common epithet used when complaining about RTC/NTC Great Lakes Illinois. Commonly used by old school sailors to complain about the quality of sailors after the Navy shutdown RTC San Diego and RTC Orlando. It was "mistake" to keep RTC Great Lakes, as the sailors have continually failed to measure up.

Green Scrubby: Mildly abrasive scouring pad. Also called a "Greeny Weeny." It's green, of course.

Green Side: The figurative side one is stationed at if one is stationed at a Marine Corps Command; contrasted with the "Blue Side" (Naval Command).

Grip and grin: A public affairs or awards event in which some member of the command must shake hands, smile, and have their photo taken.

Grog: Initially, this referred to the watered down rum ration given daily to sailors in the Royal Navy. Presently, in the USN, it refers to the alcoholic brew offered at social events like "dining-ins" and "dining-outs." Depending on the wardroom and in particular on the person preparing the grog, it may be pleasant and delicious or one of the most foul and disgusting beverages ever conceived.

Grok ( Nuke Field Geek ): To understand completely. From Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein (USNA '29).

): To understand completely. From by Robert A. Heinlein (USNA '29). Gronk ( Submarine Service ): To tighten a bolt or nut so much that the operator of a wrench or ratchet who tries to tighten it further or to loosen it sees stars. "Who the fuck gronked this nut on so tight?" See "Star tight."

): To tighten a bolt or nut so much that the operator of a wrench or ratchet who tries to tighten it further or to loosen it sees stars. "Who the fuck gronked this nut on so tight?" See "Star tight." Grotopotamus: The rather large ladies that graze around the Groton, CT area. Similar to a Bremerloe.

Grottweiler: See Grotopotamus.

Growler: A sound-powered phone, which is used like a telephone to call specific dialed in stations. It has a hand cranked dynamo which will produce a whirring sound on the other station, hence the "growl."

Ground-Pounder: Navy term for Marines, specifically infantry. Generally pejorative.

Gundeck: To juryrig something; falsifying or misrepresenting records and reports. Occasionally, gundecking (while technically wrong) may have to be done to satisfy an inspection of an otherwise nonessential or useless program. Gundecking any reports constitutes falsifying an official document, and can be punishable by Captain's Mast or even a Court-Martial, should the person gundecking be caught, which they almost always are.

Gun Boss: Weapons Department head.

Gunner: Term applied to a