GULF TALK: WORDS TO REMEMBER

Each war forges its own peculiar language as words and phrases are reshaped to reflect a new reality.

In World War II, soldiers were “GIs,” for government issue, and a problem became a snafu--situation normal, all fouled up.

In Vietnam, soldiers were termed “grunts” and

any place outside Southeast Asia was “the world,”

as in, “I’d like to get back to the world.”

So, too, has an indigenous jargon emerged here. At least for now, the slang of this war is more humorous than vicious. Here is sampling of the vocabulary of the Gulf War:

Associated Press

A spectacular setting of “Big Red”

Big Red: The desert sun.

BMOs: Black Moving Objects or Saudi women garbed in the traditional, head-to-toe, black gown.

Bolo badge: A Purple Heart medal, particularly one awarded after foolhardy behavior.

Deconflict: The task of keeping coalition aircraft separated in an attack so they don’t interfere with each other or shoot each other down.

Dog him out: To criticize.

Desert Shield: Anything that protects you from the fine, blowing sand.

Foxtrot: Substitute for the four-letter word on which soldiers have relied for generations.

Grease: Food.

Heat tab: See Big Red.

High speed-low drag: Paratrooper phrase for impressive.

Homeys: Friends.

Humvees: High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or this war’s Jeep.

KTO: Kuwaiti Theater of Operations.

Little Hollywood: Rear veranda at Dhahran International Hotel, which the four U.S. networks

have transformed into a stage for their live shots.

Lost and found badges: Marine term for Army name tags.

MOPPed up: Mission Oriented Protective Posture, the chemical-weapons protection suit and gas mask.

MREs: Meals Ready to Eat, this war’s C-rations. Also known as Meals Rejected by Everyone.

Ninja women: Saudi women in black veils.

Patriot baiters: Network TV correspondents found in Little Hollywood during Scud alerts and still photographers who rush to the hotel roof in an alert.

Prayer patrol: Saudi sound trucks that roam the streets announcing prayers five times a day.

Quick turn burn: Five-minute process of reloading and refueling an F-15 fighter-bomber for another run.

Saudi champagne: Perrier and apple juice.

Scud bait: See Patriot baiters.

Target-rich environment: Iraq.