Slang is hard to define, but you know it when you hear it. It's sarcastic and witty (when it's good) and establishes social bonds. War slang is no different, though it serves the additional function of exposing military problems. Slang from earlier wars — skedaddle, triumph, ballistic — has made a home in our vernacular, and now US soldiers in Iraq are playing with words, too. Check out what they're saying:

  • Splurge: Mocking term for "surge."
  • Hillbilly armor: Improvised vehicle armor, salvaged from digging through landfills for scrap metal to bolster armor on vehicles.
  • Sandbox: Iraq
  • Embrace the suck: The situation is bad; deal with it.
  • Geardo: The guy who has to have all the latest and greatest gear on his uniform, yet doesn’t know how to use it.

To see the rest, read more.

  • Fobbits: A play on FOB (Forward Operations Base). It's reserved for base-bound soldiers who rarely get out.
  • Groundhog Day: Every day of duty in Iraq.
  • Rummy's Dummies: A derogatory name for the US military under the leadership of former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
  • Single-digit midget: A member of the armed services who has nine days or less left of duty.
  • Waxed: To get hit hard or killed.
  • Weekend warrior: US reservist or National Guard soldier.

None of these sound destined for the everyday, but then I doubt anyone saw "snafu" coming. Though "weekend warrior" could make the argument that it's arrived — if by arrived you mean cliche magazine headlines. But what do you think? Will any of these make it out of the desert?

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