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noun: railroad acronym for "Flashing Rear End Device", the "black box" attached to the rear of most freight trains in the US since the 1980's, replacing the caboose.
Officially known as an End of Train Device (EOT), this is attached to the rear coupler and air brake line of the last car on the train. The device incorporates a pressure sensor and a radio to transmit brake line air pressure back to the lead locomotive, and a flashing red light to serve as a warning marker to other trains at night.
Also referred to in less complimentary terms as a "Fucking Rear End Device", due to the fact that early versions were heavy, cumbersome to handle, and not known to be especially reliable.
"FRED is telling us we have no air. Either we broke the train in two (uncoupled cars or broke a coupler knuckle, which would disconnect an air line) or somebody closed an angle cock (valve that supplies air pressure to individual car brakes)."
46๐ 25๐
US Military term (ca. 1960s-1990s) used by "line" types (fleet, aviation crew & flightline, special forces, infantry) to refer with contempt to HQ and staff (non-operations) personnel, especially bureaucratic types who push petty regulations as a way to harrass others. Also used as mildly derisive term by aviation types to refer to crewmembers temporarily removed from flying and assigned "desk" (non-flying) duties for administrative or disciplinary purposes.
What asswipe desk jockey came up with the idea of prohibiting bags (flightsuits) and cammies in the NCO Club for lunch? Guess those clerks didn't want all those grubby SOBs who work for a living spoiling the view...
109๐ 25๐
phrase: refers to someone deceased in a military accident or operation. Phrase predates World War II, but came into common use at that time due to the large numbers of training casualties due inexperienced pilots/crewmembers trained in aircraft that are much less reliable than today. Common accidents in rural areas would result in aircraft crashing into barns, fields, or rural property, resulting in damages. The US Government would compensate the affected property owners with checks to pay for damages, or in some cases condemn land contaminated with undetonated/unlocated munitions/weapons, in effect "buying the farm".
"28 of us started out in my class in UPT (Undergraduate Pilot Training) but only 11 of us earned our wings. 13 washed out, 2 got held back, and Higgins and Baker bought the farm when they lost power on climb-out."
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noun: an uneducated, untrained or poorly trained individual placed in a given position in a workplace where he/she is neither technically capable of performing the required task nor performing any useful activity, but to deceive the observer in some manner. Warm bodies are often used to give the appearance of proper staffing, to make an organization look larger than it actually is during visits and official functions, or to fulfill some political agenda in the given organization (i.e. "diversity").
"Frank always uses his relatives as warm bodies whenever a customer visits the shop, to try to give the impression he has a zillion people working for him. He must have learned the warm body trick in the old country, when the Communists would take all 12 cars in town and park them in front of wherever they were filming propaganda movies, to make it look busy..."
67๐ 17๐
noun: military in origin, derisive term for a personal or administrative assistant to a flag-grade officer (colonels, generals, navy captains or admirals). The term refers to a support or staff role, as opposed to an individual in a line or operations position in an organization. In the corporate world, this term may refer to someone in a personnel/human resources or accounting role, as opposed to someone in a sales, manufacturing, or engineering role.
"The HR weenies that come up with these policies have never set foot in a customer's facility. No wonder they don't have a clue..."
8๐ 3๐
noun: Military in origin, an official recognition or commendation for good work that is recorded in one's personnel file, specifically one that is a positive influence in a subsequent pay raise or promotion.
"Jones wasn't HR's choice for the new department manager, but the attaboys he got from the customer for that last project convinced the VP to lean on the Personnel weenies on his behalf"
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verb: to carry a load by hand, usually referring to an unusually heavy or unwieldy load, and/or an abnormally long distance, that would not be expected of sane, rational, people. Term is military/aviation in origin.
"Amtrak was running 3 hours late, so there were no taxis at the station when we got into town. We had to hump our bags 6 blocks through 'da hood to get to the hotel. Not my idea of a party."
113๐ 88๐