Jargon or slang relating to the military.

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What do you call a person who leads a charge?

What do you call a person who leads a charge, or otherwise leads a body of soldiers into combat 'from the front'? My context is historical but with a request this specific I'll take what I can get.
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0answers
49 views

Military terminology used in IT and software development? [closed]

There are a few terms/phrases used in both the military and in IT. Here is what I found so far: deployment demilitarized zone staging (area) fubar(military) vs foo and bar in software development ...
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2answers
178 views

Etymology of “blackguard rating” in the context of the British Army during the Crimean War

From Wikipedia: I never had such a blackguard rating in all my life – I who have had more than any woman – than from this Barry sitting on his horse, while I was crossing the Hospital Square with ...
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1answer
28 views

Capitalise 'squadron'?

Should the word 'squadron' be written with a capital? In some contexts it seems more appropriate than in others, but I'd like to do it consistently. The 12th squadron set sail. versus The ...
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1answer
78 views

What is the proper characterization of a US military officer in popular press? [closed]

What is the proper way to represent in popular press the status of a commissioned officer of the United States Marine Corps. who is not retired, has a continuing service commitment, but is no longer ...
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0answers
265 views

list of military euphemisms [closed]

I can't seem to find a consolidated list of military euphemisms, such as "incomplete victory", "friendly fire", "vertically deployed anti-personnel devices". Do you have any links?
3
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5answers
570 views

Are camp followers prostitutes?

My own understanding of the term camp followers was that it was synonymous with prostitutes who followed armies around plying their trade. However, according to Wikipedia: Camp-follower is a term ...
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2answers
299 views

OED Appeals: Origin of “bimble”

The OED has made a public appeal for help in tracing the history of some English words, including: bimble verb earlier than 1983 The word bimble, meaning ‘to move at a leisurely pace’, ...
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4answers
669 views

Why does “klick” mean kilometer in US military slang?

Wiktionary says it is either likely a pseudo-condensed pronunciation of kilometer or onomatopoeic of the sound of a military odometer. Though kilometers are not commonly used to measure distance ...