Military Acronyms and Slang

 2IC -Second In Command

7p's - Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents a Pretty(?) Poor Performance

AFV – Armoured Fighting Vehicle

AMRAAM – Advanced Medium Range Air-To-Air Missile

APC – Armoured Personnel Carrier

ARAB – Arrogant Regular Army *as*ard (derogatory!)

ARV – Armoured Recovery Vehicle

ASAP – As Soon As Possible

AWOL – Absent Without Leave

AWACS – Airborne Warning And Control Systems

BAOR – British Army of the Rhine

Beer Tokens – Money

BFG – British Forces Germany

BFPO – British Forces Post Office

BFT – Basic Fitness Test

BG – Battle Group

Bible Banger – A chaplain or preacher (RN)

Biff – Someone who spends a lot of time off sick

Biffed – To be ill or sick, injured

Bimble – To Walk Or Do Something Slowly

Blag – To exaggerate your speech and lie about something

Bodysnatcher – Stretcher bearer

Borrow – To steal something

Bootneck – A Royal Marine Commando

Brag-rags – Medal ribbons

Brown Jobs – the army – also “pongos” and “squaddies” (RAF)

Canteen Medals – Slang for food stain down your clothing (RN)

Casevac – Casualty Evacuation

CFT – Combat Fitness Test

CGS – Chief of the General Staff

Chain Gang – Aircrafthands (RAF)

Chin Strapped – To be be tired or knackered

Chinese Wedding Cake – Rice Pudding with Raisins in it (RN)

CinC – Commander in Chief

Civvies – Civilan clothing

CO – Commanding Officer

Colonel Gadaffi – NAAFI

Commissioned Labourer – Late Entry Officer

Compo – Composite Ration (also called comp rat)

Coy – Company

CP – Command Post or Close Protection

Cpl – Corporal

Crabs – The slang name for RAF personnel

Crap Hat – what Paratroopers call any regiment or corps not wearing the maroon Beret (Derogatory!)

CSM – Company Sergeant Major

CV – Combat Vehicles

Daisy cutter – faultless landing (RAF)

Debriefing – interrogation over mugs of tea

Deck – To refer to the ground (RAF)

Deck – Not to be confused with above (RN)

Desert lily – urinal made from tin can or some such object

Dig in – often referring to making camp, follow by digging a shell-scrap or trench

Dig in – To help oneself to “eat more scram”

Dobhi – one’s laundry

Dobhi bag – one’s laundry bag

Dobhi dust – Washing powder

Doss Bag – Sleeping bag

DSO – Distinguished Service Order

Duffer – Someone who is daft or stupid

egg banjo - egg sandwich

Egyptian  P.T. Sleep, rest The act of laying on your bed, with your arms crossed over your chest, just like an Egyptian mummy

Emerald Toilet, The – A derogatory name for Northern Ireland EMP

FFI – Free from Infection

FOB – Forward Operating Base

FTR – Failed to Return (RAF)

Fullscrew – Full Corporal in the Army

FUP – Forming Up Point (or Position)

GCHQ – Government Communications HQ

Glasshouse, The – The slang name used to refer to a jail, significantly the Military prison in Colchester

GOC- General Officer Commanding

Gong – A common name for a campaign medal

GPMG – General Purpose Machine Gun

GPS – Global Positioning System

Gravel bashing – To march seemingly inanely round a parade square, also referred to as “square bashing”

Greenfly – The nickname of the British Army Intelligence Corps

Green/Bleeds green – A keen soldier

Green Slime – Name for soldiers in the Royal Intelligence Corps (a bit derogatory!)

                                                                                                                        Grollies – Underpants

                                                                                                  GROPE – Ground Operational Exercise

                                                      Grunt – Slang Word For An Infantryman

                                                       Half-pint hero – a boaster (RAF)

                                                            Hammock – A bed (RN)

                                                                                           Hank Marvin – to be starving

Hanky Panky – Ginger beer mixed with whisky or brandy (RN)

Head, The – Slang for the latrines (RN)

HEAT – High Explosive Anti Tank

HOTAS – Hands on Throttle and Stick

Hurry Up And Wait – The Common phrase describing the long waits in army life

IFF – Identification Friend or Foe

IFOR – Implementation Force

INTSUM – Intelligence Summary

Intell – intelligence officer (IO) or intelligence report

IRF – Immediate Reaction Force

IS – Internal Security

Jack – To Be Selfish

Jacked – To Give Up

Jankers – Be on a charge or in the camp jail

JHQ – Joint Headquartes

Lance Jack – Lance Corporal in the Army

LBG – Laser Guided Bomb

LLAD – Low Level Air Defence

LRATGW – Long Range Anti Tank Guided Weapon

Lumpy Jumpers – Female Service Personnel in the Army (derogatory term!)

Maggot – Sleeping Bag

MBLU – Mobile Laundry Unit

MC – Military Cross

MCM – Mine Counter Measures

Mess – A place assigned for ranks, NCOs and (perhaps separately) Officers to eat or relax. Normally now the bar.

Minging – Very drunk

MLRS – Multi Launch Rocket System

MLU – Mid-Life Update

MML – Manual of Military Law

mod plod - mod guard service

MOU – Memorandum of Understanding

Muppet – Most Useless Person Ever Trained (arguable originated from the Royal Navy). Derogatory by the way

MP – Military Police

NATO – Normal Army Tea Order (white with 2 sugars)

NIG – New in Germany/New In Green

NOK – Next of Kin

NTR – Nothing To Report

Nugget – A polite way of calling someone an idiot

Nutty – The name for chocolate, whether or not it contains nuts (RN)

NYK – Not Yet Known

OIC – Officer in Charge

On Stag – To be on Guard Duty

OOTW – Operations Other Than War

OR – Other Ranks (Often mistakenly taken to mean Ordinary Ranks)

Or Bat – Order of Battle

Pavement pizza – Vomit

Penguin – slang for ground officers with no operational experience (RAF)

Percy – Percy pongo, someone from the Army (RN)

POETS Day - Push Off Early Tomorrow's Saturday

POL – Petrol Oil and Lubricant

POM – Potential Officer Material

Pongo – Slang name for the army (RN)

PONTI – Person Of No Tactical Importance

Postie – Typical nickname for a military or naval Postman/woman

PVR – Premature Voluntary Release (Permission to Visit Relatives)

Razz Man – Regimental Sergeant Major

RHIP – Rank Has Its Privileges

RHQ – Regimental Headquarters

Rings – The rank designation on an officer’s cuffs (RAF)

RLC – Royal Logistic Corps

RLC – Really Large Corps: A derogatory term to describe the amalgamation of several Army Corps in the early ’90’s

                          Rodney – Officer

                              ROE – Rules Of Engagement

                           RTM – Ready To Move

                                                                                                            RTU – Returned or Return to Unit

                                                                                                  Rupert – Officer

SADO – Senior Administrative Officer

Sad on, to have – To be unhappy or annoyed

Scab Lifter – Medical Assistant

Sangar – A built box for a guard at a camp entrance built to give cover from enemy fire

Scaleys – Royal Signals

Scran or Scoff – Food

Scratcher – An army abbreviation for bed or place to sleep especially in the field

Septic Tank – Yank (American), slightly derogatory

SHAPE -Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe

Shell Scrape – a hole in the ground, precursor to the full battle trench, giving soldiers some protection

Sick Bay – Medical Centre (RN)

Sick Bay Ranger – Someone who spends a lot of time off sick (RN)

Sit -Situation

SitRep -Situation Report

Skivver – One who hides from work, or a workshy person

Sky Pilot – Slang term for a Padre

Slop Jockey – Chef

SNCO – Senior Non Commissioned Officer

Sneaky Beaky – A member of Special Forces or the SBS

Sprog – A recruit or someone who has newly passed out and is new to a unit

Spit and polish parade – Parade inspection by CO or an ACO

Square bashing – (marching) drill on the square or parade ground

Squaddie – Slang Word For A Soldier

Squaddie shuffle – A dance that only soldiers know, often done in the NaaFI and not in public

Stab – Stupid Territorial Army B**tard. Offensive

Stagging On – On Guard Duty

Steffi Graf – Leyland Daf 4 Tonner lorry

TAB – Tactical Advance to Battle: typically a long march with weight and wearing your boots

Toms – Young soldiers

TOT – Time On Target

Troopy – Troop Leader

Tubes – Mortars

Turn up the wick – Open the throttle

UXB – Unexploded Bomb

U/S – Unserviceable

Weather guesser - The met officer on board ship, also known as Professor Fog (RN)

                                                           Wedges – Royal Engineers

                                           WIMP – Whinging Incompetent Malingering Person

                                                   Wooden Tops – Brigade of Guards

Woofers – Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters

Wooly pully – The green issue jumper

Yaffle – To eat (RN)

Yaffling Spanners – Knife, Fork & Spoon

Yomp – To force march with a heavy load

Zeds – To get some sleep

Zulu – Greenwich meantime

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