Crusher -- Hats worn by pilots during World War II. The hat's wide top brim would need to be crushed down to allow for headsets to be worn.

How would you respond if you heard someone say, “I’m a 90A, and I just finished up as the S1 for the 728th. I ran the battalion PAC and was responsible for OERs, NCOERs, awards and all MILPO actions”?

Military slang refers to the unique jargon and expressions commonly used by service members in the armed forces. Military slang is a way for soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coasties to not only communicate more efficiently, but also as a way to build camaraderie with “insider” language.

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Tango Uniform -- Slang for "tits up," which is the position dead bodies tend to face. The term can be applied to the deceased as well as broken pieces of equipment.

Groundhog Day -- Term originating from the titular movie that refers to deployments that seem to proceed in the exact same way despite attempts to change them.

Comics -- Term used to describe maps presented by military intelligence. The term is fairly derogatory in nature as a slight against the accuracy of the maps. It also refers to the brightly colored layouts and symbols usually included.

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The new waivers come as the Air Force managed to scrape by its active-duty recruiting goals, in large part due to policy...

No matter the profession, parents and children in both civilian and military families must navigate delicate decisions about...

Air Picket -- Any airborne system tasked with detecting, reporting and tracking enemy aerial movements within a certain area of operation.

Gum Shoe -- Navy slang for a sailor cryptology technician. The first CT school was located on top of a building where tar would get stuck to the bottom of students' shoes.

Bitchin' Betty -- Most U.S. military aircraft feature warning systems that frequently utilize female voices. The phrase is derived from the same anthropomorphizing applied to GPS units in cars, only Bitchin' Betty's alert pilots to life-threatening situations.

Target Discrimination -- The capability of a surveillance or guidance system to choose certain targets when multiple options are presented.

Nut to Butt -- The instruction used to tell soldiers to line up in a tight, forward-facing line wherein one's nuts are in extreme proximity to the butt of the soldier before them.

Embed -- When a reporter stays with the military in order to conduct journalistic business. They typically are provided with security and basic necessities provided by the unit they are embedded with.

Inactive Status -- Members of the Reserves who are unable to train for points, receive pay and cannot be considered for promotion.

OIF (Operation Iraqi Freedom) -- The combat operation that Veterans may have deployed to in support of the War on Terror where the theater of operations was in Iraq.

PX Ranger -- An individual who purchases, from the Post Exchange, paraphernalia unique to certain prestigious ranks or occupations and passes them off as though they earned the items.

DD 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) -- Every separated service member receives a Department of Defense (DD) Form 214 upon retirement, separation, or discharge from military service. This document states all the information related to their time of service (such as assignments, awards, dates of service, etc.) as well as the type and characterization of the discharge.

OEF (Operation Enduring Freedom) – The combat operation that Veterans may have deployed to in support of the War on Terror, where the theater of operations was in Afghanistan.

The Army and Navy had early recruiting successes with new pre-basic training programs aimed at helping subpar applicants...

Latrine Queen -- Air Force specific term for a trainee in basic who is in charge of the team responsible for cleaning bathrooms.

Duty Station -- the geographic location at which a service member is conducting official duties. This may be a temporary location for professional military education or training, or it may be permanent (i.e., home station).

Officer of the Deck -- Any officer charged with the operation of a ship. Reports to the commanding officer, executive officer and navigator for relevant issues and concerns.

Ruck Up -- "Ruck" is short for "ruck sack," which refers to backpacks service members sometimes wear. To "ruck up" is to get through a particularly challenging or stressful situation.

Dittybopper -- A term in the Army referring to signals intelligence radio operators trained to utilize Morse code. Also used as a verb to describe soldiers marching out of synch with a cadence.

The Army is set to launch a pilot program in January at two recruiting stations in the Miami area designed to cut through the...

Mustang -- Term referring to any officer who was promoted from the enlisted ranks. Can be used respectfully or pejoratively.

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Pad Eye Remover -- A nonexistent item used by sailors to trick new service members into a fruitless search. Pad-eyes are used to secure airplanes with chains.

Chem-Light Batteries -- A mythical object that would be extremely, functionally pointless. Often the source of fruitless hunts embarked upon by hapless privates.

Zone of Action -- A smaller section of a larger area. Typically these are under the purview of a tactical unit, usually during an offensive maneuver.

Demilitarized Zone -- A specific area in which any type of military force -- including but not limited to personnel, hardware and infrastructure -- are banned.

The military jargon used to communicate systems, positions, geography and terminology is plentiful. Within the military, it’s a shorthand that makes communication more efficient, although to civilian listeners, it can be confusing to say the least.

Commo -- Communications equipment or the individuals who operate it. Usually given to communications officers on U.S. Navy vessels.

Flaming ***hole -- An Air Force term to describe the fiery effect of a jet plane turning on its afterburners during combat or any other military operation.

Chicken plates -- Sheets of protective material, called Small Arms Protective Inserts, which are used in the Interceptor body armor system.

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Soup Sandwich -- An individual, object, situation or mission that has gone horribly wrong. The thrust of the term's meaning derives from the fact that it is incredibly difficult, some would say impossible, to make a sandwich out of soup.

The new waivers come as the Air Force managed to scrape by its active-duty recruiting goals, in large part due to policy...

Big Voice -- Term used to describe the loudspeaker on a military base. The Big Voice warns of everything from incoming attacks to scheduled ordnance disposal.

Joint Operation Planning -- All type of planning involving joint military forces in regard to military operations, including, but not limited to, mobilization, deployment and sustainment.

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Gedunk -- Refers to snack foods, such as candy and chips, as well as the place they're sold. Associated with the Navy and can be used in the phrase "gedunk sailor" as a pejorative remark for inexperienced sailors.

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The U.S. military uses many unique items and concepts that civilians aren't exposed to. Because of this and the need for expedient, clear communication, service members are immersed in a linguistic world apart from the daily life of a civilian. Some are self-explanatory and others are completely cryptic, but they each have a specific and important (sometimes) meaning.

Puddle Pirate -- Member of the Coast Guard. So called due to a fallacious belief that the Coast Guard never operates in deep water.

Fourth Point of Contact -- From rolling after a successful parachute drop: a term to describe an individual's buttocks. The first three points are feet, calves and back of the thigh.

Quay -- A man-made structure between a shore and land that can be used by ships to berth and is typically an area for handling cargo.

Jawa -- Term for an Army soldier who is stationed in a desert area, named after the desert-dwelling aliens of "Star Wars."

Weapons of Mass Destruction -- Weapons that can cause destruction or death beyond the ability of conventional weapons. These typically are nuclear, biological, chemical, radiological or high-yield explosive in nature. This definition does not include the vehicle, or transportation method, of delivering the weapon.

Soap chips -- A psychological operations (PSYOPS) tactic where fake letters from an enemy's home country are written and placed on bodies and battle wreckage. They include sentimental content, hint at the infidelity of loved ones back home and are designed to demoralize combatants.

Meat Identifier -- A dish or sauce that identifies what type of meat is being served. For example, cranberry sauce indicates turkey while applesauce indicates pork chops.

Left-Handed Monkey Wrench -- A nonexistent tool. Often the object of fruitless searches undertaken by recruits at the behest of more experienced service members.

Unit Identification Code -- An alphanumeric, six-character string that identifies all active, reserve, and guard units of the United States military.

Shavetail -- Second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. It primarily refers to the haircuts received in Officer Candidate School. The term's origins date to the time when the Army used pack animals, and handlers shaved the tail of newly broken animals to distinguish them from those more seasoned.

IED (Improvised Explosive Device) -- A popular weapon with insurgencies in Iraq and Afghanistan, IEDs are roughly-organized, inexpensive bombs that are be easily modified to exploit an enemy’s vulnerabilities.

Major Nuclear Power -- Any nation-state with a nuclear arsenal capable of being delivered to any other nation in the world.

Fugazi -- Completely out of whack, ****ed up, screwy. This term originated during the Vietnam War and experienced limited use by civilians.

Grape -- A term with two meanings; one for the Air Force and one for the Navy. A Navy Grape is an individual who refuels aircraft. An Air Force Grape, on the other hand, refers to an easy assignment and can be used as a compliment when a service member makes something look easy.

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Bolo -- A derogatory remark for recruits who cannot pass marksmanship training. The idea being that if one cannot use a rifle, one must resort to a bolo.

Great Mistakes -- The name sailors have given the Great Lakes Naval Training Center north of Chicago. It references the closing of two other training facilities in San Diego and Orlando, which both feature far more enjoyable weather.

Shellback -- A sailor who has crossed the equator on a U.S. Navy ship. Responsible for turning all Pollywogs into Shellbacks once they cross the equator themselves.

FOB (Forward Operating Base) -- Larger than a COP (smaller base located in a particularly hostile area.) A FOB typically offers more resources and comfort provisions such as hot meals, hot water and laundry facilities.

Hardened Site -- A structure usually built under rock or concrete designed to withstand conventional, nuclear, biological and chemical attack.

Red Team -- A body of experts on a specific topic who are instructed to research and suggest alternative methods regarding a planned course of action.

Long Pig -- Slang for when a human being is used as a source of food. Typically this happens in extremely desperate situations.

Digit Midget -- Usually used with a number as a prefix. X digit midget refers to the number of days till an individual goes on leave or retires.

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Fashion Show -- A Naval punishment where a sailor is required to dress in each of his uniforms over a period of several hours.

Ate-Up -- Describes a service member who follows regulations so closely that they disregard the context of the situation. Conversely, may describe a service member who doesn't understand regulations at all.

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Taco -- An Air Force term for receiving an "unsatisfactory" grade on a training exercise due to the vague taco-shape of the letter "u."

Pogey Bait -- Snack food. A "pogue" is an individual who does not serve on the frontlines and performs non-combat-oriented roles. "Pogey bait" is, subsequently, a bribe given to these individuals in exchange for expedited or high-quality services.

Surveys find that just 21% of American females ages 16 to 21 were qualified to serve in the U.S. military compared with 25%...

MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) – Military jobs are classified by codes that attach to their specialty. The Army, Marines and Coast Guard call this an MOS (military occupational specialty) or MOC (military occupation code); the Air Force calls them Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC). The Navy uses a system of ratings and the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) system. The Department of Defense lists more than 7,000 codes representing various job skills someone might perform while on duty.

PCS (Permanent Change of Station) -- When a service member and their family from one geographic unit location to another due to orders for a new assignment. This is not temporary; thus, the use of the word “permanent.

What is the military alphabet, and how do you use it? This military phonetic alphabet solves what can a major problem with...

Sandbox – A desert area, specifically either Iraq or Kuwait. To say this is a short list is an understatement. Having a “cheat sheet” of commonly used terms is helpful for your hiring managers to refer to and use in interviewing and hiring. As an employer, work with your veteran hires to teach them common lingo and jargon for your company and industry, and accept that it might take time for your veteran employees to break old habits.

Surveys find that just 21% of American females ages 16 to 21 were qualified to serve in the U.S. military compared with 25%...

Military slang typically includes abbreviations and other shortened ways of saying things, such as acronyms, nicknames for equipment, and more. It’s often direct and tinged with dark humor, reflecting the culture.