You just can’t help yourself.
After several years of hanging out with service members, you begin taking on certain sayings and catchphrases that are used in the military and integrating them into your own lingo.
Ever find yourself using a few of these when talking to friends?
- “Roger that” – instead of “got it” or “okay”
- “Standby” – instead of “hold on a sec”
- “Good to go” – instead of “we’re all set”
- “Get Some” –instead of “go get ‘em”
- “Gouge” or “skinny” – the insider information
- “Hard charger” – a motivated individual
- “Oscar Mike” or “OM” – on the move, meaning I’m on my way or moving out
- “Got your six” – instead of “I’ve got your back”
- “Zero-dark thirty” – instead of “first light or dawn”
- “Squared away” – meaning everything is ready to go
- “Hurry up and wait” – meaning that you get things taken care of, only to sit and wait for things to progress to move forward
- “Shit-show” – instead of “things are really messed up”
- “Mandatory fun” – used when you’re required to be somewhere at a specific place and time, usually a work function
- “Voluntold” – when someone appoints you to volunteer to something
- “Cleared hot” – ready to fire, usually when spoken against someone who is crazy and you’re getting ready to talk to them
- “FUBAR” – F*cked up beyond all reason. Things are usually pretty messed up at this point.
- “Hump” – Going out for a long walk, usually with a pack or gear
- “Semper Gumby” – meaning that someone should remain flexible to any situation
- “Big Green Weenie” – when the military rules are out to screw someone over
- You know how to phonetically spell the alphabet when speaking to customer service reps or others: A=Alpha, B=Bravo, C=Charlie, D=Delta, E=Echo, F=Foxtrot, G=Golf, H=Hotel, I= India, J=Juliet, K=Kilo, L=Lima, M=Mike, N=November, O=Oscar, P=Papa, Q=Quebec, R=Romeo, S=Sierra, T=Tango, U=Uniform, V=Victor, W=Whiskey, X=X-ray, Y=Yankee, Z=-Zulu
This article was originally published at Military1.com