Let’s face it, throughout our military careers we have run across those that misuse words, or worse yet, use made up words, to make themselves sound smarter. Mudge gets annoyed when someone says “orientate” as in , “once you get off of the cattletruck, properly orientate yourselves and then move out in a military manner.” Wouldn’t it be much easier to just say, “get off the truck, figure out where you are, and then get moving to the next objective.”
As another example, while I’ve never had the nerve to tell Mudge that it would “behoove” him to do anything, I’m sure he’d get a little angry over that one and trust me, you won’t like Mudge when he’s angry.
Which military words, terms and phrases, real or imagineered, get under your skin?
Tags: Mudge Smash Monday
“Buy-In”
“Granular” or “granularity” as said by a lot of senior staff planners…just say “details” or “specifics” instead.
“Optics” when referring to how something will appear to other people e.g. the “optics” of an operation to the local populace.
I’d never heard “optics” used that way. That is truly horrible. So is “granular” for that matter…reminds me salt.
Reminds me of when I watched Hurt Locker and the director commentary used the phrase “unpack in a granular manner” instead of “show.” Made my face hurt.
Ah, the old behoove. I love it when folks use that one to try to sound educated. Whenever I’m told it would behoove me to do something, I tell them it would befit them to shut the f up.
Paradigm shift
Gouge, as in “The Gouge” meaning the straight dope or something like that. It seems to be a phrase that only a few people use but those users go crazy for it.
POG. It’s Pouge. It’s not an acronym.
Woobie. It’s a poncho liner. A ‘woobie’ is the blanket of a small child.
‘Cho liner. Honestly, I’d rather you call it a woobie than a ‘cho liner.
Thank you
I resemble that remark, and for that reason prefer the term POGue–for the benefit of the refined AND the rabble.
Pogue, it is! I don’t get this propensity to turn everything into a damned acronym.
Because that’s how Lt. Colonels get to be full bird Colonels.
I’ve always thought that it was an acronym, POG – Person Other than Grunt or something to that effect.
No, it’s Pogue, some dumbass who was too lazy to write the whole thing out shortened it and then a staff guy saw it and made it into an acronym.
System of systems. = it costs to much, and won’t work as advertised.
“Moving forward.” Outside of the box.” Niche.”
In dealings with a rogue S-3, we came up with two terms to preface the whack plans he’d unveil in WARNOs:
“Extradoctrinal,” a plan that was out there past “out of the box.”
“Extra-doctrinal,” which was the BC’s response when the S-3 briefed one of his famously “extradoctrinal” plans.
By the time the S-3 was canned (and replaced by a creative and flexible up & coming Captain who the BC could trust with some doctrinal flexibility), everyone understood the subtle difference that hyphen made.
“Ascertain” i.e. to find out, “be advised” completely unnecessary, “irregardless” not even a word.
Oh Jesus… “irregardless” makes me want to hit whoever is guilty of saying that fake word in the face with a sledgehammer.
+1
I’m a never-was, and I hate that non-word. Its very popular right now in corporate America. At least it has one purpose: it raises my blood pressure.
+2
“nefarious” (the INS conducted nefarious activities IVO…)
“dazzle me” (SGT, you need to dazzle me with information)
“fluid” (see, you need to be more fluid)
“gingerly” (once you offload the truck you will gingerly navigate to)
“SHARP” (self explanatory)
“Gingerly”? Really? What’s that even supposed to mean? In the context of the example, it would mean “gently” or “softly” and “carefully”. I don’t even understand what the intent was…
It meant exactly that…it was akward OPORD
I had a Drill Instructor that thought “behoove” was “be hoove.” “It would ‘be hoove’ of you to…”
Sweet!
Dude! Sweet! What’s mine say?! Dude! Whats mine say? Sweet! lol
Had one that was convinced he was teaching us Diamond Washer drills.
He’s probably that Drill who marched you all to “Clothing and Sales” just before graduation…
How about all these words together in a phrase-
“I was outside the wire a lot downrange.”
Means to me you probably suck.
It also brings about a series of questions. You had wire? Like power lines running from a generator? Or maybe the defensive-type that you probably complained about (to some, bragged to others) if you had pull guard along in an air-conditioned tower. Did you want to go outside of these wires?
And what were you downrange of? Are you equating yourself to a silhouette placed in someone’s sights regularly? Maybe you meant that you were just on a giant piece of real-estate (with power and defensive wire) that sometimes had rockets fired at it? Why would you want to be down on a range unless you were prepping or pasting targets safely?
“At This Time” – unless otherwise stated what other time?
“Interrogative” – I understand the use with 5k Sat but why use it otherwise?
My man
Poor knowledge of radio verbage. The word “roger that” was a dirty word in Robin Sage. Lol, I hate the use of radio verbage in common talk. Lol.
Haha! After spending a long time working the radio, I would find myself saying, “Roger, Over” in normal conversation, as if I weren’t face-to-face with them. Good times.
Is “interrogative” supposed to mean “further information”?
Question to follow..
Hooah
In the shit
Weapon system
Make movement
Also, “be advised” along with any other extraneous, overly wordy shit people start saying as soon as they’re allowed to have a radio.
“At this time” what’s wrong with a simple “Now”?
Calling combat “the two-way range”. Just stop. Please. You aren’t Costa or Haley, just be yourself for once.
well, costa has less combat experience thanSMA Chandler, so what the fuck would he know about a “two way range”?
Yes!!!!! +1
Fuck. Yes.
This all day.
Any time anyone uses the phrase “Leads the Way!” to describe anything other than Rangers. Such as “31B’s lead the way!” or “Sappers lead the way!” (and I happen to be a 12B in a Sapper company). Get your own damn slogan and stop believing your own fantasy of being “in front of” the infantry.
Hey, AF medics can lead! Maybe not at an infantry level, but at other things. Like the front of traffic on a 96-hour pass, at the line for Dunkin’ Donuts, and holding you guys up at the FOB chow hall demanding our second order of food be cooked to order…
*runs back to clinic and hides*
All of them. Just speak English and talk like adults. The “H” word is the worst though. It’s just a damn noise.
CAVEAT. Hate it.
The big problem is that “orientate” is ridiculous. It’s “orient”. Orient your map to the ground etc.
It’s also not called “foilage” unless it’s made of tin, it’s fo-li-age.
“lots of moving parts”
“we’re all cogs in the wheel”
“big picture stuff going on”
“operator”- not everyone is a fucking operator, “soldier” will do fine
I HATE that f’n word. It is used for everything and guess what? The term comes from ONE unit and it is not for anyone else.
I can’t believe how common “foilage” is in the gear industry. It’s almost comical.
“Socialize” seems to be the current buzzword used to replace staff or staffing XYZ out and instead it’s “socialize” it amongst the leaders.
Ugh, good call- I forgot about that one. Save socializing for the barroom, not the conference rooms.
People saying “recticle” or “reticule” when they mean “reticle.”
The first isn’t a word, and the second is a small woman’s handbag.
Neither have anything to do with a telescopic sight.
+1
The first one sounds like it has something to do with a particularly unpleasant medical exam men start to get around age 50.
As much as I despise those who use the word “orientate” it is technically proper english, as in the UK or Great Britain. I can’t say that I’ve ever run into an individual that uses the word frequently that knows the difference. Dictionaries are a dangerous thing….. So are stupid people.
It is ONLY proper in the UK- in the US and Canada the word is “orient”.
They are considered synonyms, but are not acceptable in both places. The same is true of other words and phrases-
ex. “tabled” as in a bill or plan- in Canada and the UK tabled is to propose something as in “lay it on the table”, whereas in the US it generally means that the plan has been put on hold “we’ll table this for now”.
“Cheetah Flips” and “To Easy” need to go the way of the do-do.
I can not stand the word Dynamic. It has been a catch word for Magpul’s videos and now all of these people out there who blindly follow Costa and Haley seem to drink Cool Aid a little too much (nothing against Costa or Haley). Perhaps these phrases as used originally by the very men who are the plank holders if you will of that time are now just frivolously used in order to sound good or fit in. With anytime there is such attention drawn to men of action the look, sound, and demeanor of these individuals are not only emulated but copied.
It has gone beyond using the lessons learned, it has become a way of fitting in or validating yourself amongst your peers. Let’s face it, not everyone is a “SME” or an “Operator”. I am most certainly not and I have been doing what I do for the last 20 years and I learn something new everyday. I remember in 96 I bought a Shemagh in Aqaba, Jordan when I was a young Recon Marine. Now every movie and every other guy who ones a gun whether they have been “down range” or not owns one because its cool. All this is part of the pattern of fitting in and validating you have a pedigree or experience whether you do or do not have.
I am not hating but rather illustrating the fact that we are not all super bad asses, I am most certainly not. I have done what I have done and take a silent pride in my time serving with the finest men in GOD’s creation.
Perhaps all we can do is just laugh at ignorance, crack a smile when something is copied in order to sound experienced, and shake our heads at what is clearly stupidity. Oh even though I use the word in my business name I now regret the use of the word “Tactical”, so that finger is ment to be pointed at me, wish I never would of used that one, lol. EVERYTHING is tactical now a-days.
Incidences. It’s incidents.
Center of Excellence. What is that supposed to mean, really? If you could back it up with an excellent product, maybe it would make sense.
‘Say again, over?’ If you’re not on the radio, just say ‘What?’
Centers of Excellence bother me. If you do excellent things at your Center (of Maneuver, of Asymmetric Warfare, of AirborneNinjaUnicornOps), then you don’t need to advertise with the word excellence in the title.
I guess I could see one, but now everyone does it, it seems like an “oh oh, me too!” mentality.
The unit we RIP’ed with in Iraq came up with the Border Fort of Excellence program. Straight up window licker.
ABSOLUTELY. Heck the last BN I was in christened their internal portal page as their “Center of Excellence”…WTF? The phrase has no meaning. Like bob said, just call it the Armor Center, Intelligence Center, etc.
Excellence is achieved through results, not by applying a title. Call a Center and/or School just that.
I agree! – what was wrong with proponent school.
Alcohol-related incidences!
http://grooveshark.com/#!/?_escaped_fragment_=/search/song?q=Sounds%2Bof%2BSWC%2BThe%2BLongest%252C%2BMost%2BBoring%2BSafety%2BBrief%2Bin%2Bthe%2BHistory%2Bof%2Bthe%2BFucking%2BArmy
Decomplexify. You mean simplify?
Situational awareness.
Tracking. You’re keeping up? Good for you.
Wow…never heard “decomplexify” before…must be because it does no such thing. Holy cow…
I still haven’t heard a single person in the military or in classes say “peripheral” correctly. It’s not “parithial,” “perifal,” “perphal,” “purple,” or whatever vision. Per-if-er-al. Why is that so hard? If it’s to painful, just say look at something out the corners of your eye or something.
Most commanders love redundancy, and they sound stupid.
added bonus
blatantly obvious
general consensus
“in the process of” – no, you’re either doing it, or not
joint cooperation
plan in advance – no shit, all planning is in advance
+10
Hooo Ahhh!!!
When did that start in the Army??
I know the Corps has a similar saying but did not notice Army getting on this bandwagon till around the 80’s
Have to say I hate it. Sounds retarted. And as you are probably well aware “you never go full retard”
Yeah, the Corps has Oorah but that’s more of a grunting kind of noise than anything. Supposedly, Hooo Ahhh is actually an acrnoym, it’s HUA for Heads Up Acknowledge. But that’s just what I read somewhere once, having never been in the Army I can’t attest to the accuracy of that.
Once again, someone making up a bullshit acronym. It’s hooah there hooah.
HUA? The retard who crafted POG came up with that disorientated shit, it would behoove them to stop socializing their ideas 😉
Jon, OPT
Sustainment.
That’s actually a real word, although I’m sure it gets used incorrectly. It’s the title of FM 4-0.
Well, it is now. Like “orientate”.
“Good to go” and an oldie but goody, “hunker down”.
Even worse is when ‘good to go’ is shortened to “G to G”, because single syllable words are so hard to say you need to shorten them into just letters, but then again we’re called bubble heads for a reason, although it could just be the australian way of making everything shorter.
My all time most hated, everytime I hear it, seriously want to punch the knuckle dragging neanderthal who said it in the junk and try to explain using small words and lots of colorfull pictures how idiotic they sound……
‘HDND’ ‘Hard Dicked Navy Diver’ !! = I have a tiny penis and love to tell everyone I’m SF when all I really do is asset management, go to the gym, drink lattes, and freak out when my umbilical gets fouled or have to dive in zero vis.
SF – again, special forces isnt so hard to say that you need to shorten it.
Well apparently Special Forces is pretty much anyone, I mean any one. Ask the media or any military support cat who didn’t make it through selection. I hate the use of Special Forces to describe any one other than SF proper. Don’t get me started on the Ranger thing either. I have been to that school and that does NOT make me a Ranger. Again everyone has to be a special snow flake, why can’t people just be proud of who they are. If you didn’t earn it then leave it alone or man up and start walking.
This crap can go on all day, hate hate hate hate.
Silky Johnson would be proud of all the hate in this room. Lol.
+1
Shhhh…nobody tell Ranger Proof.
“Essentially”
“Head on a swivel”
“Mission first” (when used by those who are self-centered and undermine the mission by constantly only looking out for #1)
“Toxic” — way overused
“Continuity”
“Cohesion”
“Work smarter, not harder” (but continue to hold up the works by denying and or delaying every effort to do so)
Any and all other generally annoying boot/motard speech.
This. Fucking right.
“Warheads on foreheads”
“Flash to bang”
“Dynamic…Adaptive…Disruptive…New catchphrase to sell shit to airsofters and wannabes”
Warrior.
I’m a soldier thank you very much.
Thank you. No need to re-brand what is supposed to be a professional Soldiering organization and make it sound like we’re a bunch of Vikings.
I don’t mind this so much, but it fucking irk’s me that its used as a blanket statement for every fucking cunt in the army.
Orientate. You could preventate saying orientate by getting a dictionary, fucker. Initiate movement. Just say ‘Go.’ The H—- sound, which is a primal grunt that is supposed to mean …? roger? right away? WTF mate. “rollup” (CO’s favorite, as in, I’m going to need a rollup of ___________).
Special mention: ‘huh huh, it’s not my first RODEO… :P’ usually said by some fat fucker of a 13 year specialist with two tours to low impact theaters, as he explains how he is the expert at everything, survivor of countless firefights, etc. Makes me want to stab a motherfucker in the face.
You and Mudge need to party!
You win this thread.
Maybe the professionalism and drive to sound and be percieved as more intelligent, rather than a blundering 4 letter word slinging neanderthal would benefit many of you, and TONS of ‘SOLDIERS’ in the Military currently. The Army and Marines especially embody this Moron mentality of ROGER SARGE, WHATEVER YOU SAY SARGE, CHARGE THE HILL, YOU SAY? ROGER THAT!!! Maybe striving to sound more intelligent will at some point motivate people around you to actually be more intelligent.
Be the positive Change Fella’s.
oh PS – don’t get me wrong, I HATE NERDS, but I hate uneducated idiots even more.
roger
Anything with the -ability added to the end. Seems to infest PowerPoint slides, or anything you are trying to promote/get passed through some approval authority. “This weapon system has enhanceability built in.”
Anyone else notice this thread sounds like we’re talking about almost every sidebar conversation ever had at the Sergeant Major Academy?
“physical year”, as in, “we can’t submit that purchase request until we start planning the next physical year calendar”. It’s “fiscal”, dammit!!!
Foilage instead of foliage
Ambidextree-us instead of ambidextrous.
Fuckin’ tards and Costa is one of them
“War Fighter.”
Use of the phrase “Combat Environment” when describing training conditions that are anything but.
Tactical
Operator
Tactical Operator
Patriot
Hooah/HOORAH/HUA/whatever the Navy says
Any of you bomb-throwers says NU-CUE-LER one. More. TIME!
‘cept GW, he can mispronounce this as much as he wants.
Jon, OPT
I’m very sick and tired of “warrior”. I’m a soldier, in the properly constituted army of a duly constituted nation-state. I’m not a village-pillaging, feather and paint bedecked maurader in a loosely organized savage horde (although that some days that sounds more fun..)
Also, I’m tired of the Army’s brand of forced bad grammer and assaults on literacy, exemplified by spelling soldier with a capital s (“Soldier”), or family with a capital f (“Family”), and now, civilian with a capital c (“Civilian” ! -if you can believe that $%it!).
Oh, and PLEASE, let’s get rid of “dinfac” when speak of a mess hall!
And another thing..since when did Army forms replace “SEX” with “GENDER”?? That is a prime example of illiteracy right there!
That’s that “new” military. Apparently it’s insensitive and wrong to try and “force” someone into one of the two previously accepted categories.
Apparently there’s more than just men and women….or so I was told during a mandatory EO brief last month.
Seriously?
Seriously. No shit.
Hells yeah.
Dinfac is strangely orwellian, newspeak-ish.
If you think “Dinfac” is Orwellian, just think about “Human Resources”.
An instructor in a Special Forces course once told me, ” we don’t say hooah, we just say cool”. Kinda sums it up well I thought.
“as per” and “irregardless” (yes, I know websters made it a word – and I don’t care)
Every op order must use the word, “robust” at least once.
This page needs to be printed and displayed in every barracks in the army to teach the Soldiers. Great page!