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   A Short Glossay of RAF Slang
 

  • Balbo, A .................... A large formation of aircraft.
  • Bale out .................... To take to one's parachute.
  • Bind, A .................... People who obstruct one.
  • Black, A .................... Something badly done, a "bad show".
  • Blitz, A solid lump of ...... Large formation of enemy aircraft.
  • Blonde job, A ............... Young woman with fair hair.
  • Bogus ....................... Sham, spurious.
  • Bomphleteers ................ Airmen engaged on the early pamphlet raids.
  • Brassed off ................. Diminutive of "browned off".
  • Brolly ...................... Parachute.
  • Browned off, To be .......... "Fed up".
  • Bumps and Circuits .......... Circuits and landings.
  • Bus driver .................. A bomber pilot.
  • Buttoned up ................. A job properly completed, "mastered".
  • Completely Cheesed .......... No hope at all.
  • Cope ........................ To accomplish, to deal with.
  • Crabbing along .............. Flying near the ground or water.
  • Deck, Crack down on ......... To "pancake" an aircraft.
  • Dog fight ................... Aerial scrap.
  • Drill, The right ............ Correct method of doing anything.
  • Drink, In the ............... To come down into the sea.
  • Dud ......................... Applied to weather when unfit to fly.
  • Duff gen. ................... Dud information.
  • Dust bin .................... Rear gunner's lower position in aircraft.
  • Erk, An ..................... A beginner in any job.
  • Fan ......................... The propeller.
  • Flak ........................ Anti-aircraft fire.
  • Flap ........................ A disturbance, general excitement.
  • Fox, To ..................... To do something clever or rather cunning.
  • Gen. (pron. jen) ............ General information of any kind whatever.
  • George ...................... The automatic pilot.
  • Get Cracking ................ Get going.
  • Gong, To collect a .......... To get a medal.
  • Greenhouse .................. Cockpit cover.
  • Hedge-hopping ............... Flying so low that the aircraft appears to hop over the hedges.
  • Hurryback ................... A Hurricane fighter.
  • Jink away ................... Sharp manoeuvre. Sudden evasive action of aircraft.
  • Kipper Kite ................. Coastal Command Aircraft which convoy fishing fleets in the North and Irish Seas.
  • Kite ........................ An aeroplane.
  • Laid on, To have ............ To produce anything, such as supplies.
  • Mae West .................... Life-saving stole, or waistcoat, inflated if wearer falls into sea.

Click to continue . . .

 

WWII

  • Mickey Mouse ................ Bomb-dropping mechanism.
  • Muscle in ................... To take advantage of a good thing.
  • Office ...................... Cockpit of aircraft.
  • Organize .................... To "win" a wanted article.
  • Pack up ..................... Cease to function.
  • Peel off, To ................ Break formation to engage enemy.
  • Play pussy .................. Hide in the clouds.
  • Pleep ....................... A squeak, rather like a high note klaxon.
  • Plug away ................... Continue to fire. Keep after target.
  • Pukka gen. .................. Accurate information.
  • Pulpit ...................... Cockpit of aircraft.
  • Quick squirt ................ Short sharp burst of machine-gun fire.
  • Quickie ..................... Short for above.
  • Rang the bell ............... Got good results.
  • Rings ....................... Rank designation on officer's cuffs.
  • Ropey ....................... Uncomplimentary adjective. "A ropey landing", "A ropey type", "A ropey evening", etc.
  • Screamed downhill ........... Executed a power dive.
  • Shooting a line ............. Exaggerated talk, generally about one's own prowess.
  • Shot Down in Flames ......... Crossed in love. Severe reprimand.
  • Snake about ................. Operational aerobatics.
  • Spun in ..................... A bad mistake. Analogy from an aircraft spinning out of control into the ground.
  • Stationmaster ............... Commanding Officer of Station.
  • Stooge ...................... Deputy, i.e. second pilot or any assistant.
  • Stooging about .............. Delayed landing for various reasons. Flying slowly over an area. Patrolling.
  • Synthetic ................... Not the real thing. Also applied to ground training.
  • Tail End Charlie ............ Rear gunner in large bombing aircraft or rear aircraft of a formation.
  • Tear off a strip ............ To reprimand, take down a peg.
  • Tee up ...................... To prepare a job, to get ready.
  • Touch bottom ................ Crash.
  • Toys ........................ A great deal of training equipment is termed toys.
  • Train, Driving the .......... Leading more than one squadron into battle.
  • Type ........................ Classification - usually referring to people. Good, Bad, Ropey, Poor type.
  • View ........................ R.A.F. personnel always take a "view" of things. Good view, Poor view, Dim view, Long
  • distance view, Lean view, Outside view, "Ropey" view.
  • Wizard ...................... Really first class, superlative, attractive,
  • ingenious.

This file originally found RAF Slang

 

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