Inking up the blogosphere. And no, I don't glow in the dark. But thanks for asking.

December 21, 2009

Now You Too Can Talk Like A Sailor (part 2)

....continued from Part 1:

  • Davy Jones' Locker:  The bottom of the ocean; euphemism for sailor's hell.  Davy Jones is commonly seen as the devil of the sea, an eater of souls.
  • Deck:  Floor.
  • Deep Six:  Originally, the call that the water was more than 6 fathoms (36 feet) deep, but less than 7.  Now, a term for throwing something overboard.  Also called a 'float test'.
  • Deuce:  .50 caliber machine gun.
  • (between the) Devil and the Deep Blue Sea:  On wooden-hull ships, the 'devil' seams joined the external hull with the deck planking.  If the devil came loose, the sea would leak in--a no-win situation.
  • Dicking the Dog:  Not getting any work done or messing up the work process.  ex.: "If you guys are done dicking the dog, why don't you read the tech manual and figure out how that's supposed to come apart."
  • Ditty Bag:  Small mesh bag that can hold a variety of items, usually toiletries or socks/skivvies for laundering.
  • DIW:  Dead in the water.  Caused primarily by loss of propulsion.
  • Dixie Cup:  White hat ("cover") worn by male enlisted personnel with the dress white, dress blue, working white, and working blue uniform.  Sporting it at a jaunty angle or with the brim sides pulled out (known as a "bullwinkle") is against regulations, but you'd be surprised how many like to do this.
  • Dolphins:  Insignia pin signifying Submarine Warfare Specialist qualification--two stylized dolphins flanking a submarine.  Pin is gold for officers, silver for enlisted; worn on the left chest. In writing, designated (SS) after a person's rank  e.g.: EM2 (SS) Schmoe.
  • Donkey Dick:  The inline proportioning nozzle for shipboard firefighting with AFFF (aqueous film-forming foam), the extension for a radiac that measures neutron levels of a reactor compartment prior to entry, or pretty much any other long, tubular peice of equipment.
  • Drunkex:  Drunken Excercise.  Hopefully, no explanation necessary.
  • EB GreenNuclear grade duct tape.  Originally provided by the Electric Boat (EB) corporation.
  • EMI:  Extra Military Instruction.  Intended as a punishment whereby the recipient must spend portions of his/her (coveted) free time engaged in a mundane task designed to increase military knowlege, i.e.: copying out the entire UCMJ in longhand.
  • ESWS: (pronounced ees-wass) Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist.  Surface version of a submariner's dolphins, it depicts two cutlasses crossed over a ship.  Insignia designating Surface Warfare qualification, worn on the left chest.  In writing, (SW) after rank  e.g.: MM1 (SW) Schmoe.
  • Fantail:  Aft-most portion of a ship.  Sometimes used for ceremonial purposes, or for embarking/disembarking the ship via small boat, always off-limits on a carrier during flight ops.
  • Fast Attack:  (SSN) Non-ballistic missile submarines.
  • Fiddler's Green:  Sailor's heaven; a place of eternal music, laughter, and drinking/dancing.
  • Field Day:  Universally hated organized periods of cleaning, usually consisting of people polishing the same spot for two hours.  Often ordered when morale is low.
  • Flag Officer:  Reference to an admiral, as there is a flag flown when they are aboard.
  • Flotsam:  Floating debris released from a sinking ship.
  • FNG:  Fucking New Guy.
  • Foc'sle:  (pronounced foke-sul) phonetic spelling of "forecastle", the forward-most part of a ship.  Often the mustering place for ceremonies.
  • FOD:  Foreign Object Damage.  Anything that could be sucked into the intake of a jet engine and damage it.  You can pick up a piece of FOD off the deck, such as a screw; you can become FOD, if you are standing in the wrong place when the engine starts; and an engine can be FODded by any number of reasons, including the above two.  Before flight ops, there are FOD walkdowns in which people are kidnapped and forcibly pressed into a long unbroken line, where they walk looking down at the ground the entire length of the flight deck to look for and recover any FOD.
  • Foul Deck:  A flight deck condition where it is unsafe for the aircraft to land.  Cause for a waveoff and go-around.
  • Foxtail:  A long-handled, narrow cleaning brush with long flowing bristles.  A foxtail and dustpan are standard field-day equipment.
  • FTN:  Fuck The Navy.  Common usage amongst nukes with bad attitudes, sometimes inscribed inconspicuously on belt buckles, coffee mugs, desks, or bulkheads.
  • FUBAR: Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. Sometimes follows after a goat rope or someone has been dicking the dog, causing a SNAFU.
  • Fun Boss:  Person in charge of organizing liberty or port call activities.
  • Gangway:  More properly called the "brow", the walkway connecting the ship to the pier.  Can also be shouted to request people get out of your way.
  • Gator Freighter:  Amphibious cargo ship.
  • Geedunk:  Sweets, candy, nice benefits, or easy duty.
  • Gig:  Small boat, such as the Captain's Gig--his own personal craft.  Also, a demerit.
  • Gig Line:  The imaginary line on your uniform if drawn straight down the front of the shirt button edge, the crease on the belt buckle, and the edge of the zipper fly.  Must line up, or your gig line is askew.
  • Goat Locker:  CPO's (chief petty officer) mess.  In the days of sail, Chiefs were in charge of the goats that made milk for the ship.  Now, just a fun visual.
  • Golden Shellback:  Award given for crossing the equator at the International Date Line.
  • Gouge:  Inside information, or to cheat on a test using a "gouge sheet".
  • GQ:  General Quarters.  All hands man battle stations.
  • Greenie:  Green scrubbing pad used for cleaning.  Also, "greenie weenie".  A greenie and a bucket are also standard equipment during field day.
  • Green Water:  Solid wave or water, as opposed to the white foam top.  ex.: When we sailed through the hurricane, the swells were so high we were taking green water over the flight deck."  Generally, not a good thing.
  • Gundeck:  To falsify a report, log, or maintentance record.  Origins are from the days when the wooden decking underneath guns/cannons had to be reinforced and made thicker to support their weight.

3 comments:

JihadGene said...

Now it's time to tawk like a Norf Korean! Merry Chipmunks!!!

bernieg1 said...

Merry Christmas, swabbie

Squid Thoughts said...

Merry Christmas and Happy Happy everyone!