RAF slang
The Royal Air Force developed a distinctive slang which has been documented in works such as Piece of Cake and the Dictionary of R.A.F slang.[1]
The following is a list of terms used by the RAF.
A
- AC Plonk - Aircraftman second class (AC2), the lowest rank in the RAF.
- Air Commode (n.) - see Air Toilet.
- Air Toilet (n.) Air Commodore. Lowest ranking of Their Airships, also Air Commode.
- Air Tragic - humorous play on words, meaning Air Traffic. See also The Tower, Scopies, and Anvil.
- Airships, Their (n.) - officers of Air Commodore rank and above. Float serenely at high altitude, buffeted by assorted winds and oblivious to the implications of, and confusion caused by, the edicts following their astral deliberations.
- Angels - Altitude, given in thousands of feet (thus "Angels 13" is 13,000 feet).
- Anvil - the sound-proofed, darkened box that Scopies sit in, staring at a screen that looks like it’s playing a Sinclair ZX81 game, apparently to warn of any incoming Bogies.
- Arse End Charlies - rear gunners (also known as Tail End Charlies).
B
- Bag Up - to bag up or chuck up. From sick bags. E.g. “I bagged up, I tell you I was blowing chunks all over the place on the Timmy”
- Banana-boat - aircraft carrier
- Bandit - enemy aircraft
- Bang On - to be correct, or a direct hit
- Bang Out - term used to describe the action taken by a jockey when his jet goes tits up and he has to eject.
- Basher - man, chap, fellow in a particular trade e.g. "stores basher"
- Beer Lever - joystick
- Best blues - No 1 Uniform
- Bind - not a nice job
- Binder - someone complaining
- Binding - complaining
- Black-outs - knickers worn by the WAAF, navy-blue winter-weights
- Blighty - the United Kingdom
- Body Snatcher - stretcher bearer
- Boomerang - aircraft returned early due to snag (RAF Bomber Command)
- Brassed Off - unhappy (in the extreme)
- Brass hats - commanding officers
- Brown Jobs - the army - also "pongos" and "squaddies"
- Bumph - useless paperwork
- Burton - "Gone for a Burton" - killed in action - from an old beer commercial for Burton Ale
- Bus - an aircraft
C
- Canteen Cowboy - ladies' man
- Chiefie - Flight Sergeant in charge of a unit
- Circuits and bumps - a pilot training exercise in landing an aircraft and immediately taking off again. Equivalent to the American term "touch and go".
- Civvy street - what you did before or after you were in the RAF
- Clapped Out - nearing the end of useful life
- Clot - idiot or fool
- Cockup - a situation that has become extremely disorganized (from the term "cocked hat").
D
- Deck - the ground
- Desert Lily - urinal made from a tin can
- Dim view, to take a - to view with skepticism or disapproval
- Ditch - to perform a landing in the "drink" - usually when one's a/c was unable to fly any more
- Dobhi - one's laundry
- Drink - an ocean, sea, river or lake
- Duff - bad or not accurate, as in "duff gen"
E
F
- Finger (to remove one's) - to hurry up or pay attention
- Fish Heads - the Royal Navy
- Fizzer - disciplinary charge
- Flaming Onions - anti-aircraft tracer
- Flannel - to avoid the truth
- Flap - a chaotic event
- Fruit Salad - medal ribbons on a uniform
G
- Gardening - sowing mines in water from a low height
- Gippy Tummy - gastroenteritis
- Goolie Chit - a scrap of cloth issued when flying over hostile territory offering a reward to the natives to return you to the nearest Allied unit unharmed
- Gong - a service medal
- Gremlin - a mythical creature that lived on certain aircraft and caused it to go "u/s" at the most inconvenient times and then could not be located as the source of the problem
- Ground Wallah - an officer who did not fly
- Groupie - Group Captain
- Gubbins - equipment
H
- Hang up - Bomb failed to release.
J
- Jankers - to be put on a charge for a service violation
- Jippo - a gravy or stew
K
- Kite - an aircraft
- KFS -Knife Fork and Spoon, also known as "irons" in Halton Aircraft Apprentice Speak pre-WW2
- KRS - King's Regulations, the rules and regulations governing the Royal Air Force
L
- LMF - lack of moral fibre
M
- Mahogany Spitfire - desk "flown" by Penguins and Ground Wallahs
N
- Nickels - propaganda leaflets
O
- Old Man - the Squadron Commanding Officer
- Oppo - Mate or Colleague
P
- Packet, to catch a - to be on the receiving end of offensive fire
- Penguin - ground officers with no operational experience or haven't flow. Comes from the fact that 'Penguins don't have wings'
- Piece of Cake - an easy target with little opposition
- Plonk - Aircraftman second class (AC2), the lowest rank in the RAF
- Plumber - Armourer
- Prang - Crash, from the Malay word meaning 'war'
S
- Scrambled Egg - gold braiding on a Group Captain or Air Officers' hat
- Shuftie - to look at
- Shuftie Kite - reconnaissance aircraft
- Snowdrops - RAF Police
- Spoof - a diversionary raid or operation
- Sprog - a "new boy" fresh from training
- Squabbling Bleeder - Squadron Leader
- Squirt - a short machine gun burst
T
- Tail End Charlies - rear gunners (also known as Arse End Charlies)
- Target for tonight - girlfriend
- Twilights - WAAF underwear, light coloured, summer-weight
V
- Vegetables - acoustic or magnetic mines
W
- Wizard / Wizzo - first class, excellent
References