This quiz on military expressions consists of fifty questions
divided into three sections: 'Nam rap, Gulf gab, and Nav speak.
They have been compiled for the entertainment of trivia mavens.
Vietnam-era Military Terminology
[nb: this set of slightly edited questions has been extracted
from the U.S. Military Lingo webpage on the Fun Trivia
website, located at
http://www.funtrivia.com/playquiz.cfm?qid=232516]
Q#01: What is a deuce-an'-half?
_
A winning poker hand.
_
A 2.5 millimeter shell.
X
A transport truck with a 2.5 ton capacity.
_
A 2.5 millimeter syringe.
Q#02: What is the military meaning of NBC?
_
National Broadcast Command, the official military network.
X
Nuclear, biological, and chemical weaponry.
_
Non-biological combatants (i.e.: machines).
_
Native-born combatants (i.e.: Viet Cong).
Q#03: What is a thumper?
_
An unusually loud explosion.
_
A faulty mortar round.
_
A B-52 raid.
X
An M-79 grenade launcher, or its operator.
Q#04: What is a bouncing betty?
X
A mine that launches itself to waist-height before
exploding.
_
An especially energetic female soldier.
_
The host of Radio Hanoi.
_
A performer at a USO show.
Q#05: What is another name for a grunt?
X
An Army or Marine infantryman.
_
An ARVN soldier.
_
The maneuver used to counteract G-forces during jet flight.
_
A new recruit.
Q#06: Which unit was referred to as Tropic Lightning?
_
The 4th Infantry Division.
X
The 25th Infantry Division.
_
The First Infantry Division.
_
The 3rd Marine Division.
Q#07: Who needed to be most aware of a Cobra in Vietnam?
_
Everyone needed to fear this dangerous snake.
X
The Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army.
_
The US forces.
_
All of these.
Q#08: How many US servicemen were killed in the Vietnam War?
X
Over 58,000.
_
About 35,000.
_
Less than 10,000.
_
More than 340,000.
Q#09: What is a Huey?
_
An innocent civilian.
_
The Vietnamese version of Kilroy.
X
The UH-1 utility helicopter.
_
Vietnamese slang for a US Marine.
Q#10: Which of the following locations was not a US R &
R site during the Vietnam War?
_
Australia.
X
Canada.
_
Hawaii.
_
Thailand.
Gulf-era Military Terminology
[nb: this set of slightly edited questions has been extracted
from the Military Lingo Quiz webpage in the Some Friday Fun
section of the Military Times blog site, located at
http://militarytimes.com/blogs/homefront/?p=183&akst_action=share-this; this quiz was compiled from information published in
Embrace the Suck: A Pocket Guide to Milspeak by
Austin Bay]
Q#01: The term ranger candy refers to what?
_
Having sweet potatoes for dinner.
_
The nickname for a new soldier joining a Special Forces
team.
X
An 800-milligram Motrin (ibuprofen) pill.
_
An easy mission; like it's a piece of cake.
Q#02: What does the term Air Force mittens mean?
_
Gloves that are worn while piloting a plane.
X
Slang for pockets ... gloves have fingers, but pockets, like
mittens, do not.
_
Groupies who hang out with pilots, are all over them and in
their way.
_
A famous squadron name that only goes to the best of the
best.
Q#03: What is the John Wayne Driving School?
_
A private academy where you enroll at your own expense to
keep from failing the test.
_
A course of horseback riding at the Cavalry School for drill
and ceremonies.
_
Where you're sent because of all the tickets you've gotten
driving government vehicles.
X
Where new soldiers bang-up a Humvee in the process of
learning to drive it.
Q#04: The phrase All-American Decoy indicates?
X
A guard posted out in the open.
_
A streetwalker waiting outside a foreign Army base.
_
An Iraqi wearing an Army uniform.
_
A soldier who does something foolish on the battlefield.
Q#05: The term fobbits refers to?
_
Short soldiers resembling hobbits, and begun with F
as a qualifier or intensifier.
_
People who drive cargo trucks that are labeled freight
on board.
X
A derogatory term for soldiers who never leave a forward
operations base.
_
A deceitful person who cheats or tricks others, as by
fobbing-off or palming-off.
Q#06: Embracing the suck means?
_
Receiving constant verbal abuse from Army superiors.
_
Getting nothing but dirty or degrading assignments.
_
Your plans to go home are curtailed by a stop loss
order taking effect.
X
The situation is bad, but deal with it.
Q#07: The phrase Semper Knife means?
_
Great job we did in combat today – as always
fighting.
X
A twist on Semper Fi, indicating backstabbing.
_
Having to do additional work – as always hacking
away at it.
_
Being on the short end and never getting an even break
– as always cutoff.
Q#08: A pig looking at a wristwatch means?
_
An inexperienced soldier has just joined your unit.
_
The girl your buddy is flirting with has an Army boyfriend
that he doesn't know about.
_
Your new sergeant is a bad supervisor.
X
Someone wearing a dumbfounded look.
Q#09: An airman alignment tool is?
_
A chiropractor who takes referrals from military clinics.
_
A bar girl who's known not to be very choosy at closing
time.
X
Any tool that can be used to beat the [bleep] out
of someone.
_
A special device that calibrates the movements of aircraft
crewmembers.
Q#10: When a soldier refers to another Fallujah, it
means?
_
There is no action here.
X
This is a screwed-up place that's crawling with bad guys.
_
Equipment is breaking faster than it can be fixed.
_
A type of field training exercise that involves heavy urban
fighting.
Q#11: If you take a turkey peek, it means?
_
You're cheating on an exam with notes pinned to your
uniform.
_
You're using night vision goggles to see a target on the
rifle range.
_
You're sneaking a look at a female soldier's legs.
X
You're glancing around or over an object or surface, such as
a corner or wall.
Q#12: A place called Marineland is?
X
Slang for Iraq's Anbar province, which is mainly patrolled
by Marines.
_
A bar or other establishment that is mainly frequented by
Marines.
_
Slang for a Marine base.
_
Slang for a beach, whether for recreation or amphibious
operations.
Q#13: When is Groundhog Day for soldiers?
_
When your uniform allowance arrives unexpectedly in your
paycheck.
_
A special command holiday, when everyone scatters
immediately after morning formation.
_
Slang for the formal inspection conducted by the Command
Sergeant Major.
X
Every day of your tour in Iraq.
Q#14: Reference to the Advanced Echelon means?
_
A group of dignitaries who will spend the day touring an
Army battalion.
X
A unit's first group on the ground in the theater of
operations.
_
A brigadier general and his entourage.
_
The compound where electronic communications are established
with forward ground elements.
Q#15: To soldiers, angels are?
X
Soldiers wounded in combat who later die in a military
hospital.
_
Female Red Cross workers who are sent to remote locations to
offer humanitarian assistance.
_
Young and innocent refugees of war.
_
Beautiful women who frequent the clubs on base looking for
romance.
Q#16: For soldiers, a beltway clerk is?
_
The soldier tasked to drive personnel to and from National
airport in a government vehicle.
_
Slang for anyone who spends their active duty career behind
a desk.
_
The soldier required to keep track of the measurements for
personnel assigned to a weight-loss program.
X
Slang for someone who trades on his supposed political
connections in Washington.
Q#17: the acronym FUBIJAR means?
_
An obscene phrase that translates as don't give that
Iraqi any responsibility because he's a disaster waiting to
happen.
_
A request for more to drink – Fill'er Up Bro' I'm
Just About Ripped.
X
A play on FUBAR – Fouled Up But I'm Just a
Reservist.
_
A somewhat sorrowful refrain – Feelin' Unhappy
Because I'm Just About to Retire.
Q#18: Referring to someone as Ali Baba means?
_
Slang for anyone from the Middle East.
X
Slang for enemy forces.
_
Slang for someone who is behaving stupidly.
_
Slang for someone trying to get rich off of others.
Q#19: When the word MARINES is used by soldiers, it
means?
_
That other military service where brawn is substituted for
brains.
_
Guys who can get any girl in a bar because their uniforms
are so attractive.
_
An acronym for Mangy Animal Rockheads Introducing Never
Ending Stupidity.
X
An acronym for Many Americans Running Into Never Ending
Stuff.
Q#20: The initials AZ represent?
_
Abbreviation for a proficiency rating after completing a
course of training on Assault Zones.
_
Short for Alfa Zulu, which is a greeting between
troops in a combat zone.
X
Short hand designation of Al-Qaeda's former Iraqi emir: Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi.
_
Abbreviation for All Zones, when indicating their
status.
Naval Slang and Terminology
[nb: this set of slightly edited questions has been extracted
from the Military
Lingo Quiz webpage in the Some Friday Fun section of the
Military Times blog site, located at
http://militarytimes.com/blogs/homefront/; this quiz was compiled
from information published in Haze Gray & Underway by Andrew Toppan and
Jeff Crowell]
Q#01: When sailors talk about Amateur Night, they are
referring to?
_
Their first night of inebriation after joining the Navy.
_
A blind date arranged by a Navy friend who turned out to be
a prude.
X
The day after payday, when nothing seems to go right,
especially shipboard evolutions.
_
Man overboard drills conducted in the middle of the
night.
Q#02: The Navy expression Balls to Four means?
_
We are winning these war games, no sweat.
X
The midnight to four watch.
_
Setting the watch to include only the best qualified in the
division.
_
An impromptu health and welfare inspection conducted at
0400.
Q#03: When sailors speak of the Golden Rivet, they mean?
_
The part of a ship that must cross the equator for the crew
to get official credit.
_
Earning your first Good Conduct medal.
X
The mythical last rivet that completes construction of a
ship.
_
Getting a special commendation from the Skipper.
Q#04: The slang term Mud Duck refers to?
X
A shallow water sailor, like the Coast Guard.
_
A Navy ship that has run aground.
_
A special drink of chocolate milk and fish sauce served at
CPO initiations.
_
Description of a sailor who has been put on restriction in a
liberty port.
Q#05: On a Navy ship, the FTN Space is?
_
The Chief's Mess when it is closed during a formal
disciplinary action.
_
A certain berthing area known to contain many complainers
and slackers.
_
The place where a sailor stands at attention during
Captain's Mast.
X
A hard to reach space or compartment used by sailors to hide
from officers or chiefs.
Q#06: When sailors refer to the Dirty Shirt Wardroom,
they mean?
_
The laundry area of a ship.
_
The engineering spaces.
_
Davy Jones' locker.
X
A space aboard ship that doesn't require those officers who
enter to be in the uniform of the day.
Q#07: An Oolie on a submarine is?
_
The shower/toilet area.
X
A difficult question that may not be about your duties or
one that tests your knowledge to the limit.
_
A seasick sailor.
_
A sonar expert.
Q#08: Speaking in terms of tradition, what does Piping
Hot mean to sailors?
_
Originally, that the boatswain's pipe is blowing an
urgent call.
X
Originally, meals were announced aboard ship by piping or
blowing a call on the boatswain's pipe.
_
Originally, slang for an enlisted man's date waiting on the
pier.
_
Originally, a musical interlude played for sailors sweating
over their work.
Q#09: In Navy talk, to Punch Elvis means?
_
Get so inebriated you need help back to the boat.
_
Show disrespect to a Chief Petty Officer.
_
Taking another sailor's wife home from a nightclub.
X
To eject from an aircraft.
Q#10: To sailors, a Rug Dance is?
_
Anxiously waiting for someone to relieve you on watch so
that you can use the toilet.
_
Nervous behavior exhibited while waiting in the passageway
before a Captain's Mast.
X
An awkward period spent with a senior officer or CPO,
usually in a very intense one-sided conversation.
_
The trip down the aisle that a sailor takes who is reluctant
to get married.
Q#11: The traditional expression Show a Leg means?
X
A traditional call at reveille; originating in the days of
sailing when women were let aboard ship.
_
A traditional way to salute someone who has just been
promoted in rank.
_
A traditional signal for a private Chief's mess meeting
that's conducted in a barroom.
_
A traditional catcall sounded by sailors from the gun deck
to women on the wharf.
Q#12: The purpose of Dogwatches for sailors is?
_
To be a roving watch around the ship in port.
_
To allow sailors to privately switch schedules for money.
_
To punish sailors by giving everyone onboard a watch at the
same time.
X
To permit watchstanders to eat the evening meal.
Q#13: Whenever a sailor refers to another sailor as
Walter, it means?
_
A term of affection between old drinking buddies.
X
Short for Walter One Way, the selfish sailor who
always does for himself and never helps others.
_
The other sailor someone is hot racking (sharing) a
bunk with on a crowded ship.
_
Short for Walter Under the Waves, the classic
seasick sailor.
Q#14: A Trim Party to sailors is?
_
When all hands are ordered at the same time to help paint
the ship's exterior.
_
A private celebration when a sailor is promoted to Third
Class Petty Officer.
X
A prank often pulled on a recently qualified Dive Officer or
Chief of the Watch.
_
Being assigned to collateral duties that always keep you
late or behind in your regular work.
Q#15: To sailors, Tomachicken is?
X
A Tomahawk cruise missile.
_
A tuna fish casserole served for chow.
_
A shy, reserved sailor who is reluctant to approach women in
a club.
_
The female offspring of a superior, who are very much
off limits socially.
Q#16: When someone on a Navy ship refers to the
Teakettle, they mean?
_
The main galley where the meals are cooked.
_
A snack area where coffee and tea are made and served.
X
The nuclear engineering plant.
_
The operations area, where everyone works under constant
pressure.
Q#17: Traditionally, a Son of a Gun in Navy terms is?
_
A son who joins the Navy, just like his father did.
_
The alternate gunner on the watch.
_
The dupe who is willing to buy everybody drinks, night after
night.
X
A male child born or conceived while afloat.
Q#18: In the Navy, Boy Butter is?
_
Something you can't talk about in polite conversation.
_
The opposite of elbow grease, when not putting muscle
into a job; a work related put-down.
X
A light tan grease used by weapons types on torpedoes.
_
Obvious compliments made to a CPO in order to get special
privileges.
Q#19: On a Navy ship, Gawkers, Walkers and Talkers are?
X
Personnel who are off-duty.
_
A special inspection team that comes aboard while the ship
is at sea.
_
Shipboard surveillance and communication equipment that most
of the crew knows nothing about.
_
Civilians who gather in a group on the pier for a private
tour of a ship.
Q#20: In the Navy, J.S. Ragman refers to?
_
The Secretary of Defense.
X
A dirtbag or screwed-up member of the crew.
_
The commanding officer.
_
A member of the clean-up crew in the engine room.
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