Appendix:Canadian English military slang

The following is a list of colloquial terms and expressions used in the Canadian Armed Forces.

  • 280 ladies-Sailors serving on Iroquois Class Destroyers (280,281,282,283 Hull numbers)(Ladies due to the 280s being the first ships not to have urinals)
  • 5 by 5—Loud and clear, everything is working 100% (only used by Air force, Army uses Loud and clear. Originally from U.S. usage where it referred to signal strength and readability on radio-teletype circuits; Canadian procedure used "5 by 1," indicating signal strength and level of interference.
  • 60 - The now-retired 60mm mortar.
  • 84 - The 84mm recoilless rifle, manufactured in Sweden, named for Swedish King Carl Gustav.
  • after supper soldier—Reservist who conducts training on weekday evenings.
  • air force gloves—see American gloves
  • aldershit—a term used to describe LFAATC Aldershot, where whenever there is training, the weather takes a nosedive. AKA Alderschwitz
  • American gloves—pockets; "I see you're wearing your American gloves today."
  • American proof—Refers to any equipment or technique that is idiot proof to a degree that it may even be mastered by our colleagues from the US military —also 'Yank Proof'. "Infantry Proof" and "Officer Proof" are also common versions of this saying.
  • ammo tree—An imaginary tree planted in a densely bushed part of a training area using spent casings and links as the seeds and fertilizer.
  • amnesty bush—Dense foliage used to dispose of excess ammunition found after completing training.
  • amphibious training—Army slang, particular to the summer, meaning to screw off early from work and head to the beach.
  • anchor cranker —naval personnel
  • ...And a Wakey —Count-down to the morning you leave someplace. 'I'm out of here in 5 days and a wakey.'
  • antenna farm —Reference to a field headquarters or vehicle with many antennas mounted on it: A conspicuous target in a combat zone. Also see missile magnet
  • armourers—Weapons Techs, aka gun plumbers
  • around when Centurion was a rank, not a tank—old NCO ( also referred to as having been Jesus Christs fire team partner or been in since Christ was a Corporal.
  • Arty Sim —A reserve artillery soldier, particularly one working full time. Simulator Projectile Ground Burst C1A1: a pyrotechnic device containing photoflash powder and a whistle composition, used in training to simulate an artillery strike!
  • awaiting parts—Refers to one who displays a lack of courage or intestinal fortitude.
  • bag—see bag of shit
  • bag drive—an extensive, excessive activity marked by great levels of physical and mental strain.
  • bag of hammers—see bag of shit.
  • bag of shit—someone or something that is or appears to be sloppy, clumsy, incompetent, useless, et cetera.
  • bag of smashed ass holes—Referring to a group that is all fucked up.
  • baking brownies—member needs to defecate.
  • balls to nut sack—members grouped uncomfortably close together.
  • band fag CF musician
  • band geek—musician
  • band-aid tech—Slang for medics who are notorious for their medical skills.
  • bandie, bandy—musician
  • bang stick —Term used for C7 rifle
  • base bunny—in reference to buckle bunny, a bull-rider's girlfriend, who wears his trophy buckle out of pride for her man. A base bunny likes to show off that she has a military man.
  • battalion bicycle—see shack rat
  • full battle rattle —Full Fighting Order (FFO); helmet flak jacket and tacvest.
  • bear march—To march with the left leg and arm swinging in sync, and the right leg and arm in sync. Generally only seen being performed by recruits.
  • beers down range—to drink socially.
  • belt fed cock—any punishment or hardship high in intensity, and long in duration. Also used when the punishment or hardship is a structured component of the activity.
  • belt fed from the factory - Uttered in frustration by those trained in the proper use of small arms upon viewing just about any action movie.
  • beyblade - someone who is usually panicked and confused (see also; Spinner, Helocopter).
  • biff—traitor, backstabber. See buddy fucker. (also for those members of the CF hailing from Nova Scotia, means to throw something or biff it)
  • bin rat—supply technician.
  • birth control glasses—Canadian Forces-issued combat spectacles that, while appropriate for eye protection in a tactical situation, are downright hideous.
  • bird gunner—Air defence artilleryman, see also Cloudkiller.
  • bivouac— temporary sleeping area, usually in tents or other cover.
  • black Cadillacs—Combat boots. Used ironically in reference to use as a mode of transport.
  • black hatter—Armoured crewman. Named after the black berets worn by the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. Does not apply to Navy personnel although they too, wear a black beret.
  • blade -Backstabber, rat. This kind of individual screws others over simply for the sake of screwing people over, or is otherwise untrustworthy. "Stay away from Josh, he is a FUCKING BLADE!" Can be used as a verb: "Josh bladed me!" See also: Blue Falcon.
  • blanket stacker—supply technician.
  • block leave—A period of leave during which an entire unit or command is nowhere to be found. Usually happens in summer and at Xmas, but is forbidden to units or commands who work on a 365 basis (i.e. the Air Force).
  • Bloggins-name used in place of actual people to describe a situation i.e. "Sgt. Bloggins was seen drunk outside the base and was issued a 129." much like the civilian "John Smith"
  • Blue Falcon - Buddy Fucker. See also: Blade.
  • blue rocket—standard portable toilet that can be found everywhere on a base. Has a rather nasty habit of tipping over when occupied and people are bored—if they're angry, on the door.
  • blue rocket-Reservist, "Expensive to rent and full of shit."
  • boat—ask any sailor, "it means submarine you idiot". If it sails above the water then it's a ship.
  • boat-Slang for the AVGP Cougar, Grizzly and other Piranha LAV-style vehicles. In reference to the shape of their hulls and the fact that the earlier models could float and had propellers to cross water obstacles.
  • Cocaine Cowboys - 3 PPCLI
  • boat person, dory plug or fish head—slang for sailor.
  • BOHICAbend over, here it comes again. A term used when complaining of monotonous and pointless activities
  • bomb bunny—derogatory slang for a junior, unqualified or near-useless solider (see numpty or cornflake ) who loads and unloads ammunition (and other heavy stuff) all day long. Specifically, a member of an armoured regiment's support squadron who loads ammunition onto tanks. See bomb up
  • bomb up—to load a tank or other fighting vehicle with ammunition (and fuel and other stores). See bomb bunny
  • boonie capCADPAT floppy field hat worn in field environment.
  • boot camp—basic training. For soldiers, this can also include the Soldier's Qualifications Course.
  • boot fucked—Severe punishment, Sometimes the real boot up your ass, usually coming from a SGT or above. (Not legally used after 1994 harassment policy.) Can also refer to a percussive maintenance action or dynamic breaching (typically of a doorway).
  • boredom—refers to CFB Borden, also in the geographical vicinity of Angus (Anguish)
  • bos'n pay —bananas
  • box kicker—supply technician.
  • brain cylinder – a portmanteau of brain cell and cylinder. Believed to have been created as a corruption of "my brain cells aren't firing on all cylinders"
  • brain fart—Slang for a period of forgetfulness, e.g. "I can't remember where I put my rifle, I just had a brain fart"
  • brain housing group—Slang for the skull.
  • bratMilitary Brat—someone who has spent their youth being raised by a regular-force member, almost always having lived on numerous bases and major cities across the country (if not abroad).
  • Brit Hay Box—refers to the "portable shitters"—British mess food is the shits
  • Bubble Head—refers to Combat Divers, a secondary role of Field Engineers
  • buckshee—Slang for anything you can get for free.
  • Bueller?—said when nobody answers a question, usually one asked by a senior rank. In reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off
  • buddy fucker—describes someone who, whether intentionally or not, acts in a manner totally inconsiderate to the welfare of his/her peers, potentially harming them in the process.
  • bumblefuck—engage in activity with no purpose or end benefit.
  • bunny suit—chemical defence suit, used for defence against chemical warfare.
  • canary—Air force.—too pretty to shoot, too yellow to fight.
  • canine fornication— see dogfuck
  • Canned Scots— The Canadian Scottish Regiment.
  • can opener—Any anti armour weapon.
  • canteen queen—Someone who always volunteers for the canteen.
  • careborne—Slang for SAR Tech
  • career mangler—Career Manager. A senior member of your occupation at NDHQ who makes the decisions about your career development and your geographical and/or unit postings. Depending on his/her decisions, they are thought of as a great friend or your worst nightmare.
  • Carl G - The 84mm recoilless rifle, manufactured in Sweden, named for Swedish King Carl Gustav.
  • cad pat garden - army way of learning things (goes right along with <death by power point>)
  • CE - Construction Engineers. Now defunct category of support personnel assigned maintenance on CF bases (facilities and PMQs). Associated with the riddle: Q: "What's yellow and sleeps six?" A: "A CE truck."
  • Cage Monkey - see Supply Technician. See Bin rat
  • cement head—Infanteer—as in need a chisel and mallet to penetrate the thick skull.
  • CF - Cluster Fuck. A description of the state of the "CF" AKA Canadian Forces."
  • CFLcorporal for life; someone at that rank that either lacks the potential to be promoted higher OR has no desire to pursue the promotion and intends to keep it that way. Also captain for life.
  • CFR— "Commissioned From the Ranks", after the Commissioning From the Ranks Plan or Captain for Life, Remember. An officer who was promoted from NCM ranks, rather than entering as a Regular Officer Training Plan or Continuing Education Officer Training Plan Officer Cadet or Direct Entry Officer. Facetiously nicknamed Captain for life because they seldom are promoted past that rank.
  • CFSCE—Common Fucking Sense Cannot Exist; rarely - Canadian Forces School Of Cock Enforcement (Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics)
  • CFSCE-ism—A set of instructions/teaching materials created by the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics used for training purposes. Often impracticable or counterproductive when used outside a tested training environment.
  • chairforce—Air Force.
  • chairborne ranger—Anyone whose primary duties are performed behind a desk.
  • charlie foxtrot—the phonetic letters CF, abbreviation of cluster fuck.
  • checked-out—See "closed up".
  • cheesie—slang for SAR Tech, due to the bright Orange suits they wear.
  • chemist—the cook who conducts chemical experiments with food
  • chicken fuckers—a most offensive nickname given to The Royal Canadian Regiment.
  • chicken ranch— Building Y-101, CFB Petawawa, home of 1RCR. See also chicken fucker.
  • chief—the senior-most officer appointment of a branch, staffing, element, etc. (Chief of Staff, Chief of Land Staff); can also informally refer to a particular Chief Warrant Officer or Chief Petty Officer. It is also the correct form of address for Chief Petty Officers First or Second class.
  • chimo!—a form of greeting or war-cry used by the Canadian Military Engineers. Can mean the following: "Hello!", "Cheers" et cetera. It is normally shouted in unison after engineers are dismissed from parade, or as a compliment in place of "good job" or "have a good night!"
  • ""chit bag"" - see MIR Commando
  • chuggernuts—Used as a nickname for stupid soldiers (e.g. "Take a look at chuggernuts there" or "Going to find chuggernuts, be right back")
  • chunky soup sandwich—used to describe a soldier who is all messed up, or has sloppy drill. also see bag of hammers
  • Cinderella leave—Shipboard leave expiring at, or before, 2359hrs. Usually only for junior members of the Ship's Company or if the ship is sailing early.
  • circus battalion—a Service Battalion, coined by not just how it rhymes, but also the nature of certain Service Battalion as being severely disorganized: "they set up tents, and are staffed by clowns".
  • civvies—civilian attire; civilians.
  • civvy street—the civilian sphere, as referred to by a member of the Regular Force (e.g. "You're a reservist? What do you do on civvy street?") See also real world.
  • CLAG—Collection of Ladies And Gentlemen; Officers.
  • clear as mud—Usually used to ask if you understand something which is being taught during a military lesson. Used a lot when students have the blank look on their faces and they are asked about what they just learned.
  • closed up—someone who is competent, alert and deports oneself in a professional manner. Essentially, someone who embodies the necessary traits of a good member or officer. The opposite of shit pump.
  • club Ed—Slang for Edmonton Detention Barracks.
  • cloud killer—Air Defence Artilleryman.
  • COCKconfirmation of combat knowledge. Can mean to put a round into the chamber of a gun. such as "cocked and loaded" Also, heavy-handed discipline. It is known to be "BELT FED COCK" for extreme circumstances. Also, a form of discipline given for reason or not. Can also be given anytime, see cockmeat sandwich and double cock. Not to be confused with Candidates Under Normal Training (CUNT).
  • cock tech—Female hull technician.
  • cockmeat sandwich—A form of discipline received from more than one superior at more than one occasion for the same incident.
  • Come Fuck Students At This Establishment—Refers to the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering (CFSATE).
  • combat florist—Slang for the Signals trade, refers to the Hermes on their cap badge, resembling the FTD florist symbol. aka Herpes
  • combat lingerie—Term used to describe the former olive-green combat dress once they were so faded and worn that you could see the wearer's underwear through the fabric -See Green Pyjamas
  • cornflake treatment—the cornflake is normally a sign that the member is new to the Canadian Forces and is given according treatment: superiors will supervise them with more scrutiny, to note and correct their mistakes, discipline when necessary and behave as an example to follow, et cetera. see Cornflake reference Meaford PAR+PAT
  • cornflake—a tri-service cap badge affixed to a new CF member's beret in his or her early recruit stages, prior to wearing the badge of a given branch or regiment, or regimental headdress. It displays the crossed swords (Land), bird (Air), and anchor (Sea). Its shape and colour resembles a piece of corn flakes cereal, hence its name. Recruits wear the cornflake until they have reached a certain level of qualification, and its application differs from one branch or regiment to another—some replace it once finished their trades qualification, others replace it as soon as their basic training is finished. "Cornflake" also serves as a term for a member in this early stage of his or her career. Most commonly worn by members in LFCA TC Meaford. PAR PL (persons awaiting release) and some PAT members (persons awaiting training) usually found gaggle fucked somewhere on base. Some of which have been awaiting status for prolonged periods of weeks to years (AKA Holding Platoon).
  • course weiner-Alternative pronunciation of "course senior"
  • cowering inferno—NDHQ
  • Crafty - Short for Craftsman, it applies to any member of the RCEME branch who has not completed their QL5 training. Usually, only Privates are referred to as Crafties, however unqualified Corporals also fall into the category. Also spelled Krafty, it's the same as the designation Sapper or Trooper for other trades.
  • CRAFT- Can't Remember A Fuckin Thing.
  • Crazy 8s - A nickname for The 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's), after the card game.
  • cripplers—Mark 3 combat boots. Also, old slang for old issued PT sneakers.
  • crocker cocker—A derogatory term used for the poorly designed ambidextrous cocking handle latch on the upgraded C7A2 rifle which has the bad habit of getting caught on everything and breaks frequently. Named after the rumoured developer of the latch.
  • crunch—To go to the bathroom number two, see also MOVEMENT.
  • crunchie—an armoured term; dismounted infantry. Derived from what it is imagined to sound like when a tank runs over an infantry soldier.
  • crystal palace—Nickname given to the 1 Canadian Air Division based on the all-glass front of the building.
  • CUNT-"Candidate Under Normal Training", goes hand in hand with COCK. I.E. "I'm going to give those CUNTS some COCK!". Candidates Undergoing Normal Training shall receive Confirmation Of Combat Knowledge.
  • death before dismount—unofficial Armoured Corps motto, usually used by non-Armoured types as humour. Also "Speed, Violence Arrogance".
  • death by Powerpoint—an overly long, excruciatingly boring class or presentation that makes overuse of said program.
  • deck ape—boatswain.
  • deKAFinate—A KAFer who is sent outside of KAF while on tour. Generally kicking and screaming.
  • dhobi—Navy term for washing/laundry. That basket's gettin kinda full...better put the dhobi on. Get the dhobi dust (laundry detergent). Borrowed from the RN, which at one point had members of the Indian Dhobi caste aboard HM Ships to do the laundry.
  • diaper wiper-An offensive term to describe an officer of the Cadet Instructors Cadre.
  • dirty cowboy—A member of Princess Patricia's light infantry (PPCLI).
  • Disneyland joke—a recurring joke often used by instructors on students during a recruit course, in order to gain volunteers for a mundane task. This can also involve ice cream or candy.
  • Disneyland on the Rideau—National Defence Headquarters.
  • 'Dobie-a sailors laundry
  • dogfuck—engage in severe laziness, or severe procrastination.
  • dogfucker Means someone who lets others do all the work, an individual who looks for ways to avoid working
  • dog and pony show—To perform tasks or do work to impress a superior, often staff officers.
  • donkey—a foolish individual.
  • domestic niner— a service person's spouse, usually a wife. A play on the call sign 'niner'.
  • double cock—Getting twice the amount of discipline. Or receiving discipline from two people at the same time.
  • dozer—Aviation Technician.
  • drip pan—a female soldier in a Service Battalion who engages in promiscuity. Coined from the literal definition: a pan laid underneath vehicles as a means of collecting dripping fluids. Its association with the Service Battalion stems from the large company of vehicle repairmen and drivers present in any service battalion or similar area support unit.
  • Drives the short bus for the special kids— A pilot who flies with 427 SOAS.
  • drop ass—to expel intestinal gas through the anus; break wind.
  • drop shorts—the artillery who supposedly drop rounds short onto friendly troops.
  • duff—what sailors call dessert
  • Dutch mafia—the Central Band of the Canadian Forces.
  • EIS—Properly Equipment Issue Scale, slang terms are Extra Included Stuff or Extra Infantry Shit. Additional items that accompany a piece of kit that is loaned out to a member -- for example, the cleaning kit that accompanies a weapon. Generally small and easy to lose.
  • Élof—An Officer Cadet in military college. Short for Élève-officier.
  • Embracing the Suck - To consciously accept or embrace unpleasant situations and/or circumstances in acknowledgment that one's individual and/or collective suffrage contributed to the overall success of the mission at hand.
  • Fags Gays and Homos—Derogatory nickname given to the Fort Garry Horse reserve unit.
  • fantasians-fictitious forces used in training exercises, derived from fantassin
  • fart sack—sleeping Bag.
  • fat pills—slang for dessert items, i.e., cake, candy. Also known as; Jim booglies, fizzy pops; licky chewies
  • FEBA -Forward Edge of Battle Area,
  • FIGJAM- Fuck I'm Good, Just Ask Me. Used when one has confidence in their ability and it shows.
  • FIGMOfuck it, got my orders, generally refers to someone who is posted and has received their posting message and their lack of interest in their current position. Would hear someone who is posted say they are "Figmoed" means they are done.
  • Fightin' and dying'—CADPAT. "Alright troops, get into your fightin' and dying'"
  • fill your boots—take as much as you want. Help yourself.
  • Filthy Strat—Reference to Lord Strathcona's Horse(Royal Canadians) or Strats, followed by the member spitting on the ground. Generally by a Royal Canadian Dragoon.
  • FIOF- Figure It Out Faggot. When ordered to do something without much of the "how to".
  • fire picket— nighttime safety patrol in a bivouac area to watch for fires and as a measure of security patrol.
  • fitter & turner—a cook as he fits perfectly good food into pots and turns it into shit.
  • fitter—An aircraft Engine Tech.
  • FK9—Slang for "F...ing the Dog"
  • Flag fag— Refers to Navy Signalman / Naval Communicator
  • flat face civvy - a civilian, especially one who has no idea what the military does
  • float testing - when sailors throw something overboard (or when something fell overboard)
  • floor chimp - Refers to Vehicle technician on account a trained monkey can do what they do.
  • FLOP-Fucking Little Odd-jobs Person.
  • FLOT-Forward Line of Own Troops, formally known as FEBA
  • FML—a term used when tasked with a job that is considered to be un-good. Standing for Fuck My Life.
  • FNGfucking new guy.
  • FOBIJAR—Fuck Off Buddy I'm Just A Reservist. Might be heard from a reservist if given an undesirable task by a Regular Force member.
  • FOBit—Also FOB Hobbit- a soldier who never leaves a forward operating base (FOB). See also KAF'er, Hesco Hobbit.
  • foot in your ass—severe discipline. "If one of you isn't pulling your weight here, you will feel the shock of my foot in your ass!!!"
  • Four by Two - A cotton small arms cleaning patch. The term dates back to the days of .303 calibre small arms, when the cleaning patches actually were 4" by 2". Not to be confused with lumber.
  • Four Fan Garbage Can—C-130 Hercules
  • Fort Fumble- National Defence Headquarters
  • fragiles—avionics techs (pronounced like fraggle)
  • frozen Chosen—slang term for anyone having served a sentence at the end of the world, commonly known as CFS Alert. Originated in the Korean war, from the Korean name for Korea. Particular to Air Force types.
  • FUBAR -Fucked Up Beyond All Repair, or Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition.
  • FUBIS -Fucked Up Before It Started, or Fucked Up Before It Starts.
  • fuck o—an incompetent, obnoxious, bumbling oaf. Like a bag of shit but even worse. Perhaps a play on common officer titles such as 'Admin O' or 'Sup O'
  • fuck off—an auxiliary superlative. "Reference that big fuck-off tree at 2 o'clock."
  • full time retard—Member of the regular forces
  • funnel faggot—any member of the Marine Engineering Branch.
  • GAFFGive a fuck factor i.e. 'My GAFF is pretty low right now'
  • GAFF Meter— imaginary device used to measure GAFF. i.e. 'My GAFF Meter is on empty' (also GAF Meter).
  • gaggle fuck—a disorganized mass of people who aren't doing anything productive. Reference Cornflake MEAFORD PAT+PAR
  • gagtown – a term used to refer to CFB Gagetown.
  • Gat—Slang for any small arm, usually the C7 Service Rifle
  • gen- a term used to refer to information, knowledge or a review of upcoming tests in the air force
  • get on the dog, get the dog on—to put one's best effort forward. Derived the naval term "Dog" which is what sailors use to control the sail of a ship.
  • GGFG – Acronym for Governor General's Foot Guards. Before enlistment was opened to women, it also meant "God's Gift For Girls". Also refers to "Gustaf's Gone For Good" (alternatively "Good God we Forgot the Gustaf") after an incident where GGFG members lost a Carl Gustaf.
  • GIB - Grunt in back. Anyone in the back of a LAV (light armoured vehicle)
  • glom on—grab on to, "Glom on to that bench" see muckle
  • glue bag—A person who is a moron or simply useless.
  • go to ground—To go to bed.
  • GPIG- GPMG C5 used 1958 to 1989.
  • grape smugglers—Slang for the swim trunks you get issued in basic training.
  • gravel technician—infantry soldier. Created on grounds that the Infantry spend much time digging trenches.
  • grease monkey—mechanic.
  • green lightParatrooper. Taken from the 'Go'/'No Go' lights when jumping.
  • green pyjamas—collective term given to the former olive-green combat dress.
  • ground pounder—infantry soldier; gunner.
  • ground sheet—See drip pan. Taken from its literal form of noun— a padded mat on top of which soldiers sleep. Normally said in combat trades. See also Drip Pan.Also refers to any female in the combat arms trades who is notorious for her promiscuity.
  • growlies—Slang for food.
  • grunt—a large Bornian ground-dwelling ape that digs holes for no apparent reason (PONGO) —infantry soldier. Also: Government Reject Unfit Naval Training
  • gucci kit—non-issued kit or equipment bought by the soldier.
  • gun plumber—weapons technician, responsible for repairing firearms. Also gun doctor, gun fucker.
  • gun bunny - A member of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery generally, may specifically refer to a soldier serving as part of the crew of an artillery piece.
  • gun number - A soldier serving as part of the crew of an artillery piece. The positions are designated by numbers, with the gun crew being commanded by the "Number 1."
  • gunner—a trained private in the Royal Canadian Artillery, although the term can informally refer to an artillery soldier at any rank: "once a gunner, always a gunner." This term has also been used as a call sign for the machine gunner in a formation of members who bear rifles.
  • guppy—Navy
  • gut truck—Slang for the Coy Canteen vehicle. aka Roach Coach, Goodie truck
  • gut wrenches—aka cutlery
  • ham fisted—Something that is so unbelievably tight that the person who installed it has hams for fists.
  • hang dump—Slang for hovering over a cold blue rocket seat while defecating.
  • hatless dance—summary trial under the Code of Service discipline.
  • haybox—a large insulated container used for serving and storing food in field operations.
  • head shed—Any headquarters element. Also used in reference to the portable toilet.
  • head shrinker—Slang for the base therapist.
  • heads—Sailor's term for toilets. "Gotta use the heads"
  • headspace and timing check—Slang for a visit to the base therapist.
  • Helmet Fire— A situation where a pilot aggravates a minor emergency by over-reacting.
  • Helicopter - Someone who Spins so hard and often they take off (see also; Spinner, Beyblade).
  • Herbie-Artillery soldier. Possibly a reference to Bing Coughlin's Second War era Canadian Army comic strip character in the Maple Leaf. Originally reserved for the regular Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (RCHA) and may refer to their use, before the advent of the CF green uniform, of Herbert Johnson of New Bond Street, London, as their source of headgear.
  • Herbie beater-A stout stick for threatening idle soldiers.
  • Herbie helper-Any member of a support trade posted to a unit of the RCHA.
  • Herman the German—figure printed on figure 11 targets at a rifle range.
  • Hesco Hobitt— A timid creature who never strays from the protective embrace of an area surrounded by Hesco Bastions- see also FOBit, KAFer.
  • hit-me vest— A name used to describe high visibility vests worn by personnel to ensure that they are easily seen while operating around vehicles or heavy equipment. So-called as an ironic description of their purpose, which is to prevent vehicles and equipment from colliding with the wearer and other persons near them.
  • hindquarters and pigs— Headquarters and Sigs (Signals) Squadron of any brigade.
  • honey wagon—Slang term for the chemical toilet maintenance vehicle
  • hooah!, HUA!heard, understood, acknowledged, borrowed from the U.S. Army term or the USMC's "OOO-RAH!]]Used in a ironic manner, for a idiotic task that you have no enthusiasm in doing.
  • hootchy-Slang for a half shelter
  • Hootchy Hotel-Slang for two or more half shelters fastened together housing two or more personnel
  • Hop on her-Derogatory term for Op Honour, the anti-sexual harassment guidelines. How Op Honour sounds with a French accent.
  • horse cock—a flexible spout used for pouring fuel from a jerry can to a vehicle.
  • hot bag— using taking turns using the same sleeping bag, one person after another, so the sleeping bag doesn't get cold. Often used on winter exercise by persons on fire picket (night watch) duty.
  • hump—carry or lift a load, originally an Australian term meaning "to carry one's swag,"; also a forced march carrying full equipment loads.
  • hurry up and wait—denotes a situation where something isn't well organized, is rushed into by personnel and some form of delay makes them all wait in the end.
  • I must puke—Individual Meal Pack (IMP), referring to a dislike for the pre-packaged food.
  • Individual Magic Pantry—Individual Meal Pack (IMP), field rations based on Magic Pantry or Freddie Chef "boil in the foil" packaging used in the 1980s.
  • ILS - Imaginary Lats Syndrome, refers to little man syndrome where the soldier forces his chest and arms out as if to have enlarged lats (latissimus dorsi muscle) while he struts.
  • infantardInfantry Soldier. Based on the belief that most infantry soldiers are not quite as bright as their peers.
  • infantilleryArtillery Solider employed in an infantry role; artillerymen performing infantry-like tasks.
  • iron fist—hat badge of the Armoured Corps.
  • jacked up—to have one's faults corrected in a swift and severe manner. Often the member being so corrected will stand to attention, appearing taller -- as if being literally jacked upward.
  • JAFO - Just Another Fucking Operator
  • JAGs - Officers of the legal branch of the CAF, equivalent to a judge. They can make or break your day.
  • jag on—To get a jag on; to hurry up.
  • jammie—everything is good to go
  • Jesus ______—an item that is of monumental, singular importance. For example, if a particular computer in an office should not fail or be tampered with whatsoever, it is the "Jesus Computer".
  • Jimmy Jesus—St Andrew holding the cross
  • Jimmy—a member of the Signals branch. The Executive officer of HMC ships—from RN "Jimmy the One." Also the nickname of the statue of Mercury at the CFB Kingston main gate
  • JOUT—Junior Officer Under Training.
  • jug fuck—a disaster in the making.
  • KAFer—A soldier who never leaves the Kandahar Airfield while deployed in Afghanistan. See also FOBIT.
  • KAFass—Weight gained on tour by KAFers due to lack of exercise, the dining halls in KAF and repeated trips to Tim Hortons.
  • Kandahar Kruds-The shits related to acclimatization to Kandahar province, in Afghanistan.
  • keener—Someone who is always too enthusiastic to do any task.
  • kit bomb-A soldier who is unable to keep control of their belongings, as though a bomb went off scattering their kit about.
  • KFS—Knife, Fork, Spoon.
  • killick—Naval slang for a Leading Seaman. Really means spare anchor, from the anchor on the rank badge back in the pre-1960's Navy.
  • KIT- Kings In Trust, or Kings Issue Temporary.
  • knuckle dragger— Vehicle Technician
  • lawn dartParatrooper.
  • LBRT- Little black rubber thingy. Used to tie down vehicle tarps.
  • LCF—Look Cool Factor. Used in reference to the look of a piece of equipment and its affect on fashion
  • 'LFCA TC Meaford-Located north of Toronto into hell- "Where happiness goes to die home of The forgotten (PAR members)RCR DP1 training base. (Again, its LFCA TC Meaford...dumbass)
  • leaf of grief—Slang for one being promoted to Master Corporal, often accompanied by a large amount of extra responsibility and little reward.
  • leather personnel carrier-Combat boots
  • leg—term used by members of the Airborne to refer to non-jumpers. Means "lacks enough guts".
  • light colonel—lieutenant-colonel. Used referentially, never when addressing the officer.
  • light up—Shooting an enemy, for example, "enemy to the front: light him up!".
  • line ape—a member of the Lineman trade, in army signals.
  • living the dream - a term quite often sarcastically used when situations dictate the direct opposite
  • log, log wog—a member of the Logistics branch. See Ren & Stimpy's 'Log Song' for more details.
  • lone bone—a Private bearing one chevron.
  • loser—Reservist term for a Regular Force member. Usually used because Regular Force personnel have no personalities and are boring to talk to.
  • loudership—refers to the art of leading by screaming
  • lung in a bag—I.M.P. (field ration) meal of omelet in mushroom sauce, referring to its appearance. Originally referred to the old Ham Omelet IMP from the 80s, also "barf in a bag" for the same reason.
  • ma'am—see "Sir".
  • Mach Schnell/Mach Chicken]- To move at high speed on the ground. "Grab your shit and mach schnell up to the OP!"
  • Maje - Diminutive of the rank Major. Frequently heard in the RCAF. Less frequently heard in the Canadian Army. Much less frequently...
  • malingerer—Slang for a soldier who constantly uses the MIR to avoid work. See Sick, Lame and Lazy.
  • Man-Love Thursday-Used in many jokes. Refers to observations in Afghanistan of the prolific male homosexual relations among the local population on Thursday nights.
  • map sail—slang for a junior officer in the field. Refers to a junior officer getting lost and unfolding their entire map and having it flutter in the breeze like a ship's sail.
  • master jackMaster Corporal.
  • mayor of Tune Town—Band Officer
  • meatbombParatrooper
  • Meaford Range Control It is thought that range control has a weather machine at their control for when troops enter the training area so they can cook up the worst possible training conditions by setting it to "suck". It can be sunny in the town of Meaford yet full out wrath of a snowstorm in the training area.
  • meathead—a member of the Canadian Forces Military Police. Likely a reference to the scarlet beret that an MP wears, though it has said to have been used prior to the scarlet's wearing. May also refer to the contents of the beret. As in the joke: "What is a meathead?" A: "A PERI who failed the swim test."
  • Meat Wagon - term used during the second world war for ambulance
  • metal bashers—Aircraft Structures Technician.
  • mess tin syndrome—premature onset Alzheimer's in sergeants and warrant officers caused by years of eating from aluminum mess tins.
  • MFWIC- "Mother F...er whats in charge", pronounced "mifwic" eg. "Who's the MFWIC around here?"
  • 'Mickey Mouse Brigade Royal Canadian Retards. Aka RCR (the bitches of the infantry world having to always use their shitty kit assigned to them. Bunch of queers really.
  • Militia—Former term to describe the Canadian Army. Also formally used in the 1950s (and sometimes used today) to describe Reserve Force members.
  • milverado—Slang for MILCOTS, an army variant of a Chevy Silverado.
  • M.I.R.-Medical Inspection Room. Pronounced by spelling out letters.
  • M.I.R. Commando—A member of your unit who goes to the MIR (medical inspection room) frequently attempting to get out of work.
  • missile magnet—A command (HQ) tank or vehicle which can have as many as 6 antennas on top of it: Refers to command and control vehicles drawing a lot of anti-tank missile fire in a combat zone. Also known as 'sagger magnet'. See antenna farm
  • M.L.-acopter—Slang term for MLVW, when used on exercise to transport troops, when the budget is too small to pay for helicopter transport.
  • monkey drill— The performance of rifle drill while modifying the standard drill movements to include various unnecessary flips, taps, and spins of the rifle in a fashion similar to the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Team.
  • morale booster—a female soldier who engages in promiscuity with multiple members of her unit
  • morale tech 00069—a promiscuous female soldier
  • movement—To go to the bathroom number two.
  • mover -Traffic Technician
  • Mo—A militia soldier.
  • Mo-COTS— MILCOTS, as in MILitarized Commercial Off The Shelf, used primarily by the reserves.
  • MRE—abbreviation for Meal Ready to Eat (a soldier's food in the field) aka Meal Rejected by Ethiopians
  • MSE Op - Means Mobile support equipment Operator, Also referred to as "ME Start Engine Sometimes...Maybe, or Me Start Engine Or Push" Refers to Military Truck Drivers,
  • muckle on—The act of sorting out troops, or solving a problem. i.e. "Pte Bloggins, muckle on to that broom and start sweeping"
  • Mudford—term of 'endearment' for LFCA TC Meaford. Said to be where 'happiness goes to die.'
  • mud cruncher—infantry soldier.
  • N/Snon-serviceable, non-functioning, broken, official jargon.
  • NATO standard— a Tim Hortons (also referred to as Tango Hotel) Large regular or 1 n 1 coffee. (A NATO Standard is a Double Double NOT a Regular.)
  • navy gravy—ketchup.
  • nervous battalion—refers to service battalion troops who go to the field or outside the wire.
  • newfy steak—navy term for bologna slice.
  • Niner—the pronunciation of the number "9" in radiotelephony procedure. The added syllable is to reduce confusion with the number "5" when the signal is poor. Used in the callsigns of unit and subunit commanders.
  • Niner domestic—A soldier's spouse ("Don't confuse your rank with my authority" is their motto). Refers to army radio communications call sign '9', pronounced 'Ni-ner' that is a commander of a formation.
  • ninjas—the special-forces arm of the CF.
  • no hook—a Private below his or her qualification course specific to trade, who does not have a chevron or "hook" on his or her epaulet (or on any other means of display), unlike Trained Privates who do. Can also apply to an Ordinary Seaman, which is the naval equivalent to a no-hook. -MEAFORD PAR
  • not on—used to describe something that is unacceptable or something that shouldn't happen—"that is NOT ON."
  • numpty—someone who is 'none too swift', see 'bag of shit'.
  • OD - Slang for Ordinary Seaman
  • oh dark stupid—Refers to the hour that most military personnel wake up - zero dark stupid
  • Old Man/Old Lady-Refers to the Commanding Officer (CO)
  • Omar the tent maker - Refers to Materials Technician
  • one hook—a Trained Private, whose hook signifies competency in his or her trade. Also denotes an Able Seaman in the Navy. Also a 'Trooper' in the Armoured Corps.
  • one-pip wonder—An army Second Lieutenant or Officer Cadet.
  • OPI—Usually referred to as Office of Primary Interest, but in this case it refers to "Only Person Interested".
  • Orders Parade - A military summary trial.
  • Other Ranks/ORs—an older term for Non-Commissioned Members of the Forces used by officers; it is considered very inappropriate today. as it referred only to Corporals up to Chief Warrant Officers and did not include Privates. The politically correct term is now Non-Commissioned Members (NCMs) which refers only to Privates (including Recruits) up to Chief Warrant Officers.
  • PAFFO - Public Affairs Officer (PAO) from the former acronym for the occupation: P Aff O.
  • pallet pusher -Traffic Technician, specifically a member of line crew
  • paperclips—refers to the crossed chain links on the badge of the Canadian Forces Logistics Branch, which to the untrained eye appear to be paperclips. This refers to the administrative and paperwork-heavy nature of many of that branch's trades. Can be either joking or derogatory, depending on context.
  • part changer/wrench bender—Slang for mechanics.
  • Peanut Butter Eater—Slang for AES OPs.
  • Peanuts, Popcorn, Caramel, Licorice, Ice Cream-a play on the acronym PPCLI.
  • Gone Pear Shaped—any situation that has suddenly become untenable, usually due to bad planning or poor execution.
  • pecker checker—medic.
  • pee pee slapped—to get yelled at or a talking to for a minor mishap.
  • pencil-pusher/desk jockey—admin clerk
  • Personnel Receiving Extra Thick Cock—refers to members who are sent to CFB Borden's Post Recruit Education and Training Centre to sit and wait for their next training phase to commence
  • picklie/pickly—a member of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (from PPCLI)
  • piddley shit—that which does not matter.
  • pig—term used for machine gun due to its weight, and appetite for ammunition.
  • pigboat—Named given to the former Gate Vessels of the Naval Reserves. All 5 were decommissioned in the mid-1990s. Originally used to open harbor gates during WWII. It was said they were made of "Pig steel"
  • pimps & drunks- slang offensive term for Pipes and Drums.
  • ping bos'n- slang for Sonar Operators
  • ping pong champions of Long Island—Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
  • please protect Canada's little idiots—Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.
  • Peanuts, Popcorn, Candy, Licorice and Ice Cream-Princess Patrica's Canadian Light Infantry.
  • plug—a very stupid or incompetent person. From the fuze plug/lifting eye that is screwed into the front of an artillery shell until the actual fuze is installed. Also in reference to a servicemember who is only good enough to plug a hole in the ranks. See also "Shit Pump"
  • POC—Point Of Contact
  • point, press, and pray—also known as marksmanship principles
  • PONTIperson of no tactical importance. See OCDT.
  • Pole Monkey- CF Lineman "See line ape"
  • Poor Pathetic Pricks Couldn't Lick Italy- very derogatory reference to PPCLI
  • poultry molesters Politically correct term for the RCR's, also known as poultry fornicators.
  • princess Picklies —long slang for a member of the PPCLI. Not generally said to their faces.
  • private Bloggins, gunner Bloggins, sapper Bloggins etc.—the CF's Everyman.
  • PDOOMA—Pulled Directly Out of My ASS. An instant answer or response to any situation, having no experience, knowledge or wisdom to draw upon.
  • pull pole Tearing down the Arctic Tent, getting out of location, leaving the military.
  • Qs—slang. short for PMQ, or Private Married Quarters.
  • Quickest Out of Ridgeway - Derogatory nickname for the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada, alluding to the Battle of Ridgeway during the 19th Century Fenian Raids.
  • puzzle palace—slang for National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.
  • quarter-inch admiral—a derogatory term for a RCN Naval Cadet; refers to the thin gold rank braid worn by these members on their tunics. By comparison, a CF Admiral (or General) wears a wide gold rank braid on their tunic.
  • queers on the run—offensive nickname for The Queen's Own Rifles Regiment (QOR).
  • rabbit—work done for free; as in "I have so many work orders to complete but all I do are rabbits".
  • rack out—Go to sleep, or take a nap/ lie down. see rock out with your cock out Reference LFCA TC Meaford PAR members they are deemed professionals in this field of expertise.
  • rag picker—supply technician.
  • Ragetown Nofunswick- slang for Gagetown New Brunswick.
  • ration-powered space-heater-soldier who's greatest skill is turning food into thermal energy for his tentmates. See Shitpump.
  • real world—the civilian sphere, as referred to by reservists (e.g. "You're a reservist too? What do you do in the real world?") See also civvy street.
  • recce by death—unofficial motto of armoured reconnaissance. Refers to the chance of survival of an unarmed, unarmoured Iltis, or G-Wagon, upon encountering the enemy (e.g. If junior call sign does not report back after taking a bound over that crest and smoke is rising, you know there are bad guys over there"). Jocular parallel formation to the professional term reconnaissance by fire (abbr. recce by fire) = U.S. speculative fire, spec fire
  • Reconditioned Drunks - Derogatory nickname for The Royal Canadian Dragoons, based on the unit's abbreviation "RCD."
  • red lead—Fire Fighters
  • regimental air mattress—see 'Ground Sheet'.
  • relish suit—collective term for the new CADPAT.
  • REMF-Rear Echelon Mother Fucker. Derogatory term used by combat arms to describe all other members.
  • rental— A Class B full-time Reservist on callout with a Regular Force Unit; typically for a 6-month stint over the winter months.
  • reserve cock—Normally discipline coming from a Sgt thinking that everything has to be stressed out. Or a tasking done to kill time that shouldn't really be done. Denoted this because, in the regular force, most senior NCOs are relaxed, and don't need soldiers to do meaningless tasks. This is probably due to experience. Can also refer to the hard time reservists get when working with reg force soldiers.
  • Residential Sergeant-Major—One's spouse, a play on Regimental Sergeant-Major, and used in speech with the same abbreviation: "I gotta check with the RSM before going to the mess; I think she wants me to pick up something for supper."
  • ring knocker—one who has attended RMC and brags about it. IE “he is a real ring knocker”
  • rigger—An aircraft airframe technician.
  • rock out with your cock out—Just finished a job, or duty, and now having nothing to do. You can relax and relax. see rack out, and smoke and joke.
  • Rocking Chair Rangers - The Royal Canadian Regiment.
  • roger dildo—Slang for Roger Wilco
  • RTFO—Stands for "Right the F... Out of er". Also known as the soldier "Ray Oliver"
  • rubber head—Term used for Communicator Research Operator.
  • rubber chicken rapers - offensive term used to refer to the Royal Canadian Regiment
  • run chicken run - term used to refer to the Royal Canadian Regiment
  • SALY - "Same As Last Year", "And no kidding, as a junior officer training my gun battery in Germany, we took last year's training plan, changed the date and did it again," quote from retiring Lt-Gen Beare, CJOC Comd. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/retiring-lt-gen-stuart-beare-says-the-world-needs-more-diplomacy-1.2736710?cmp=rss
  • sand box—refers to Afghanistan
  • sandwich clamp—Infanteer term for hands.
  • Sandy bottom sailor-West coast sailor.
  • sapper—a trained private combat engineer, or informally a combat engineer of any rank.
  • sargeSergeant; used informally and with familiarity between the two people.
  • SAS—Reference Reserve members defined Saturdays and Summers.
  • Saturday soldier—reservist.
  • Saturdays and Sundays Fucked - The former Special Service Force, now 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
  • sausage fest—Slang for a situation where there are no women, only a lot of men.
  • Sea Thing - Sikorsky Sea King helicopter.
  • Seagull-A bird who shows up at your work, flaps around, squawks, shits over everything you're doing, then flies away as quickly as it showed up. A term for any ranking member in a supervisory position.
  • Seen—Verbal acknowledgment of directions as given. Commonly in response to fire orders to engage a target.
  • Secret Squirrel Force - The former Special Service Force, now 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group
  • secret squirrels—members of JTF2, more commonly used as a reference to the Int Op and Comm Rsch trades, due to the high security clearance needed and the secrets that go with such.
  • self-packing luggage—Pilots' reference to ground crew.
  • sergeant major moustache—term used to describe a moustache styled with wax in a manner that resembles the Pringles logo character. It is normally worn by senior non-commissioned members, such as Sergeants, Warrant Officers, hence its name. They are most popular in combat arms regiments.
  • shack hack—any illness that has spread quickly in quarters.
  • shack rat— a serviceman who is left in barracks to do extra clean-up for the day. any female who enters quarters to engage in promiscuity with those living in the housing unit. Alternately, a soldier who seldom leaves his quarters in his free time.
  • shack whore—a civilian female who comes to the shacks to engage in promiscuity with anyone who will give them a beer or a smoke. More commonly called a Shack Rat.
  • shacks—quarters of any type, not a reference to quality/comfort.
  • SHADS—Summer Holidays After Dinner Sailors. Originated from WW2 era Naval Reserve recruiting poster urging potential recruits to "shadow" RCN regulars. Term used for Naval Reservists.
  • Shilo-Factored—being so drunk as to cause you to do something stupid enough that it will have you standing before the CO the following morning
  • Shilo two-step—Summary trial under the Code of Service Discipline, usually by a delegated officer in a training setting for poor turn-out (cf. Shilo winds).
  • Shilo winds-A sudden localized indoor windstorm that scatters a soldier's belongings about when they leave their locker unlocked during training. Also Wainwright and Dundurn winds.
  • Shino Boys - A Great War-era nickname for The Royal Canadian Regiment, from the name of a popular brand of brass polish. Based on the regiment's habit of maintaining very high standards of personal dress and deportment, regardless of conditions.
  • Shit Faced-an individual who has consumed way more than they can handle.
  • Shit Hook - Chinook helicopter.
  • shit pump—an individual marked by gross incompetence or stupidity, whose only skill is converting rations into feces.
  • shit rat - a soldier who is always in trouble
  • shit, shower, 'n shave—the first three things that follow morning PT.
  • shit the bed—to fuck up something, make a gross mistake or otherwise disappointment. Also asked of personnel you rarely see at work. "What happened? did you shit the bed?"
  • shit tickets—Slang for Army toilet paper. aka poop-on coupons
  • shitter-Any facility than one may defecate in, portable toilet, indoor toilet with plumbing, etc.
  • shitter fitter—Naval Hull Technician
  • sick, lame and lazy—A group of soldiers who are medically exempt from participating in physical activity.
  • siggies—signals
  • Sig Pig—Member of the Signals branch, Sig Ops / Rad Ops who are checked out and party hard.
  • silly servant—civil servant- civilian that works for DND
  • silver bullets/Cornwallis cripplers—The high-speed running shoes you get issued in basic training aka ankle breakers.
  • sir—someone who is addressed as 'Sir' (or 'Ma'am') by subordinates, (i.e., Master Warrant Officer and above). Usually a response by a Warrant Officer or below when called sir—"I am not a sir/ma'am; I work for a living."
  • SISOL—Success In Spite Of Leadership
  • skirt - A member of a kilted regiment.
  • slack and idle—personnel without motivation or grossly out of shape
  • sliders—Naval term meaning to screw off early. Particularly applicable to Fridays and before lunch.
  • SLJO—shitty little jobs officer.
  • SLUGs—students learning under guidance.
  • SNAFU-situation normal all fucked up. pronounced as one word.
  • Snotty - Slang for Naval Cadet or Midshipman.
  • SOL—shit out of luck. pronounced by spelling out letters.
  • SOAP—as in SOAP Opera. Term used by Reservists to describe Regular Force Personnel. Meaning, Drama all week, off on weekends.
  • space bunny - any air cadet
  • spare dink—someone who, at the time being, really does not have a job to do.
  • spark chaser—avionics technician
  • spinner—someone who has a tendency to 'panic' when put under even the slightest stress and can't make a decision, i.e. 'they spin'.
  • split arse—extremely offensive slang term for female.
  • Sprog— New Combat Engineers, see "Sapper". A subspecies of "Thumperhead's" inhabiting troop bays and Canteens. They spend most of their daylight hours complaining about how "gay this is" and "why are we even here" due to the general lack of work outside of sweeping the parking lot on a day to day basis. Ironically most will resist vehemently if told they must take part in anything that removes them from the safety of their respective bay and especially if it involves any training or learning.
  • SPUTS—Self Propelled Pop-Up Targets, Armoured slang for infantry-see crunchie.
  • squiggly amps—The overly technical language of a Sig Op as perceived by all other personnel; that which does not make any sense but to the person speaking often due to their inability to dumb it down.
  • squishie—see crunchie
  • standards—"There is only ONE standard!" Problem is, everybody has one.
  • standby to standby—expression for waiting
  • stake truck—"Used to describe a civvy truck usually used to move pers kit to and from exercises, taskings or courses.
  • Subbie - A Second Lieutenant or Lieutenant, diminutive of "Subaltern." In the RCN, an Acting Sub-Lieutenant or Sub-Lieutenant.
  • super sailor—nickname for members of the Boatswain Naval trade, so-called as they are more involved in seamanship than other Naval trades which are technically oriented.
  • super stoker—a member of the Marine Engineering Branch who attended the St. Lawrence College (or equivalent) Marine Engineering Programme. Entering the 2-year course as a recruit and exiting the course as a Master Seaman
  • SUSFU-Situation Unchanged, Still Fucked Up.
  • Swamp donkey -Female resident of Petawawa
  • SWASS-Sweaty ass.
  • SWAT-Refers to the reserves. As in Some Weekends And Tuesdays (Tuesday evenings are typically used for training).—See also SAS, Toon, and Weekend Warrior.
  • switched on—See "closed up".
  • TARFU-Things are royally fucked up.
  • Tater Head- Avionics Technician. Referring to the removal of a broken light bulb by using a potato.
  • Terp-Civilian interpreters in use by the Canadian Forces, especially in Afghanistan.
  • TGIF-Thanks God it's Friday
  • The Sir/Ma'am- Generally used to denote the Commanding Officer of a unit, or the highest-ranking officer present at any given time. Can be used to denote any officer if they are specifically pointed out or described. For example: "The Sir over by that tent"
  • The Odd-A 1980s 2PPCLI (Winnipeg-Kapyong barracks) term used to denote quantity - How many? ...The Odd.
  • The Old man- when combat arms units refer to the RSM or when sailors refer to the Commanding Officer of the ship
  • The Old woman-when a sailor refers to his wife
  • three-M club-The three 'M's are meals, movies, and mattresses. Meant to denote somebody who is spending most of their time slacking off or sleeping.
  • thudfuck—someone who is totally useless due to stupidity
  • thumper head—slang for Field Engineer or Combat Engineer
  • thunder box—refers to one of two things: 1) a makeshift toilet out of cardboard in a field setting, 2) portable toilet.
  • thunder chicken—refers to the thunderbird on the Canadian Forces Military Police badge.
  • thunder in—refers to someone who passes out. Usually during long periods of physical exertion i.e. parades, ruck marches, etc. Refers to a paratrooper who hits the ground far too fast, usually due to parachute malfunction, but also sudden down-draft, wind gusts, collision or an inexperienced jumper who steals his air by moving beneath jumper.
  • Timmi Taliban—refers to Taliban enemy
  • TI- Time in, or experience.
  • Time Machine- A reference to a sleeping bag during a long field exercise. "I'm gonna hop in my time machine to tomorrow"
  • Timmie- someone who is completely useless due to being too nervous or timid
  • Timmie on crutches - someone who is even more useless than a Timmie
  • Timmie in a wheelchair - the ultimate useless prick, too timid to breathe
  • torquing floor boards-A pointless waste of time would be to torque the floorboards of the Lav III APC used by The RCR. When given a bullshit 'Make work' or kill time, pointless type of task, it may be referred to as torquing floorboards.
  • to step on one's own dink—to really screw up.
  • TOCroach—A soldier who works in the Tactical Operations Centre. Often noted for their tendency to avoid sunlight and scurry about after crumbs
  • TOET-Test Of Elementary Training. The Test you have to do on a C7 before a range.
  • toon—refers to the reserves. As in Cartoons. Not real, and only seen on the weekends. See S.A.S.
  • toque head—The effect encountered when it's too cold to take off your toque for fear of brain freeze (e.g. on winter Ex's). Symptoms include excessive build up of grease on scalp and extremely sensitive hair.
  • Trapper -A term for Traffic Technicians that's mostly used by old NCO's
  • trooper—a trained private armoured soldier
  • Trunk Monkey- Flight Engineer.
  • Truth, Duty, Valour, Don't get caught -the unofficial motto of the Canadian Military Colleges.
  • tuba tech—a CF musician, regardless of the instrument they play.
  • tune tech—any CF Musician
  • tune town—the band room or practice area
  • Turret Fairy—Derogatory term for an Electronic/Optics Technician
  • twenty mile sniper—Artillery gunner
  • twin tailed plastic fag jet—A CF-18 Fighter Jet
  • un-fuck—to fix something or someone that's broken.
  • Valcatraz—Slang for Valcartier, Quebec. Once you're in, you never come out.
  • vandoo-Slang for the Royal 22nd Regiment.
  • vomi, or camp vomi-Slang for Camp Vimy, in Valcartier. The first guys who trained there drank the water and all got sick with it.
  • volun-told—A supposedly optional event, award, assignment, or activity that is not officially mandatory, but which is usually understood that a person is required to attend either by persons-in-charge nominating them or their peers expecting them to be there. The person often has no say in the matter, and non-attendance in frowned upon. Refusal to comply will usually get you on the unit's extra duties/shit list.
  • Wainwrong- Common name given to LFWATC Wainwright.
  • war pig—almost exclusively used in the Infantry, the term describes a very large, girthy and masculine female soldier. Occasionally used within the RCN to describe the Iroquois Class Destroyers due to the extreme age, condition and lack of fuel economy.
  • Wash-Infantry Slang for doing leopard crawling and pepper potting through a swamp.
  • weather machine—rumoured device installed at LFCATA Meaford which provides the base with abysmal weather while all surrounding communities enjoy beautiful sunshine. Generally believed to be controlled by range control as it is set to "suck" when troops are in the field training. Wainwright and Shilo has one installed as well ;)
  • Weather Witch - Meteorological Technician in the CF. Responsible for weather prediction during Training and Ops, known to be right 50% of the time. Army MET TECHS are the magical unicorn of the trade.
  • weekend warrior—reservist.
  • Westie— A member of the Royal Westminster Regiment.
  • watch dogs - military police
  • whiskey tango foxtrot—the phonetic letter WTF; has the same meaning as the modern textspeak WTF—"What the ....?"
  • whiskey tango- white trash
  • Whistle head —officer
  • white elephant—an officer who works hard and holds the welfare of his/her men in high regard (extremely rare and rarely seen).
  • white whale—large, white moving-company style wagon used to transport goods in a non-combat environment.
  • Wobbly Pop—Slang term for beer
  • WOG, wogwithout guts/without guns. A derogatory term for a soldier who is not a member of the combat arms. Can also be interpreted as "Without Gun." Sometimes "Western Oriental Gentleman" aka "Worn Out Grunt"
  • WWMDD —What Would Mike Dwyer Do? The act of decommissioning equipment past the point of repair. Acronym devised after Cpl Dwyer’s persuasion techniques involves physical kicking of non-serviceable equipment coinciding with heavy profanity.
  • Yank proof—see 'American Proof'.
  • yellow bedroom—CF Crewcab truck which has a black hood and referenced in the joke: "What's black and yellow and sleeps four?"
  • YMCA—the navy
  • "you can't see me!" suit—See relish suit.
  • zip 'em up—the act of firing a close-range burst at an enemy and the recoil causes successive shots to travel upwards, much like the zipper on a jacket.
  • zipper headArmoured Crewman. From the old leather helmets used by early tankers. The pattern of stitching gave the appearance of a zipper running across the top of the head. Folk etymology: from the zippers on armoured-vehicle crew suits (re-purposed pilots' flight suits). Also from the supposed scars on a crewman's head that he received from smacking it on a part of an armoured vehicle while crawling through the hatches and small compartments.
  • zoomie—pilot or any members of the Air Operations branch.
  • zombie—the nickname for conscript soldiers during WWII.
  • Zulu Warrior—An airborne tradition that involves placing a sheet of toilet paper in your asshole, lighting it on fire, and seeing if you can chug a beer or run around the room before it burns you.
  • zunter—name of someone whose natural gait sees their left arm swing in synch with their left leg, and right arm with right leg, rather than the normal opposite, requiring them to be re-educated in Basic in order to march. Physical impairment said to affect about 1 person in 10,000.