merlon

Borrowed from French merlon, from Italian merlone (“merlon”), from merlo (“merlon”) + -one (suffix forming augmentatives). Merlo is derived from Late Latin merulus, merlus, possibly from Latin merula (“blackbird”) (as merlons resemble a row of birds perched on a wall), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ems- (“black; blackbird”). The English word is cognate with Italian mergolo (“battlement; pinnacle”), Portuguese merlão, Spanish merlón (“merlon”).

cog

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-merlon.wav

The Merlons, to the end that they may be good, ought to be made of Earth, the most eaſie to be tempered that may be: And this Earth ought alſo to be mixed with Withy Twigs, or Brambles, provided they take Root, after which they are to be lined with good Turff.

1693, “Of the Embrasures or Merlons”, in Abel Swall, transl., The New Method of Fortification, as Practised by Monsieur de Vauban, Engineer General of France. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Abell Swall; […], →OCLC, book IV, page 75:

The parapet conſiſts of two parts, namely, the wall and the merlons. [...] The Merlons are detached pieces of the parapet, leaving openings called Embrasures, thro' which the cannon deliver their ſhot.

1754, J[ohn] Robertson, “A Treatise of Marine Fortification”, in The Elements of Navigation; Containing the Theory and Practice. […], volume II, London: […] J[ohn] Nourse, […], →OCLC, section II (Of Batteries), paragraph 26, page 610:

A battery of guns is a bank of earth thrown up to cover the men that are to ſerve the guns; this bank is cut into holes for the cannons to fire through, about 12 feet diſtant from each other. Theſe holes are called embraſures, and the maſſes of earth between them are called merlons; [...]

1756 July, “An Account of the Siege and Capture of Port Mahon […]”, in Sylvanus Urban [pseudonym; Edward Cave], editor, The Gentleman’s Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, volume XXVI, London: […] D[avid] Henry and R. Cave, […], →OCLC, footnote, page 319, column 2:

Along the walls, at the distance of every hundred yards, were square stone towers. In the parapets were also embrasures, and holes in merlons for archery; but there were no cannon, except a few old wrought-iron pieces near the gate.

1797, George Staunton, “Passage to the Ladrone Islands, near Macao; […]”, in An Authentic Account of an Embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China; […] In Two Volumes, […], volume I, London: […] G[eorge] Nicol, […], →OCLC, page 419:

[T]he property of sloping surfaces [...] causes a cannon ball from the fortress, which enters by the mouth and strikes one cheek of an embrasure, to glance off without penetrating through the merlon on that side. Such a ball is not therefore likely to prove fatal to those men who are covered by the merlon, but to those only who stand immediately behind the embrasure, and not always even to them, for if it should strike the very sloping part of the cheek, it may be reflected upwards.

1832, C[harles] W[illiam] Pasley, “Of the Space that Must be Allowed, for the Extreme Half Merlon at the Flank of a Battery, when Finished without an Empaulment”, in Rules, Chiefly Deduced from Experiment, for Conducting the Practical Operations of a Siege, Chatham, Kent: […] Establishment for Field Instruction, →OCLC, part II (Containing an Essay on the Construction of Batteries in the Field), section I (The Several Kinds of Batteries Defined. […]), page 16:

He had appropriated a thick tapestry rope in the great hall, and now, having reached the parapet, he looped the soft strong cord about the girl's hips and lowered her to the earth. Then, making one end fast to a merlon, he slid down after her.

1934 August, Robert E[rvin] Howard, “The Devil in Iron”, in Farnsworth Wright, editor, Weird Tales: A Magazine of the Bizarre and Unusual, Indianapolis, Ind.: Popular Fiction Pub. Co., →OCLC; republished as The Devil in Iron, [Auckland]: The Floating Press, 2013, →ISBN, page 42:

The exterior façades of the Cordoba mosque are carefully composed, with buttresses interspersed with doorways which reflect the framed arch of the mihrab. The upper line of the wall is given a dramatic and eastern finish with a row of stepped merlons.

1991, Barbara Brend, “Lands of the West: Egypt, North Africa and Spain”, in Islamic Art, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 54:

The castle spread out before him, its high solid sandstone walls, with their crenel and merlon battlements ending in round towers, was a magnificent sight.

2012, James Herbert, chapter 21, in Ash, London: Pan Books, published 2013, →ISBN, page 141:

(architecture, military, historical) Any of the upright projections between the embrasures of a battlement, originally for archers to shield behind while shooting arrows over the embrasures, or through loopholes in the merlons.

kanteel

any of the upright projections between the embrasures of a battlement


embrasure

/ɪmˈbɹeɪʒə(ɹ)/

But there were less casualties than might have been expected, and the barricade rose steadily, a wall of concrete two feet thick, with embrasures for two machine-guns and a small field gun.

1938 April, George Orwell [pseudonym; Eric Arthur Blair], chapter VI, in Homage to Catalonia, London: Secker & Warburg, →OCLC:

The walls are slitted with embrasures through which bowmen could fire, indicating that the belfry also served as a stronghold during border skirmishes.

1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 311, about the church at Pembridge:

(architecture, military) Any of the indentations between the merlons of a battlement; an opening in a wall or parapet through which ordnance can be fired.

مَزْغَل

any of the indentations between the merlons of a battlement


tenable

en-adj

tenable (comparative more tenable, superlative most tenable)

more tenable (comparative)
most tenable (superlative)

From the French tenable, from tenir (“to hold”); compare tenible.

The island of Melos undoubtedly fell within his general conceptions of tenable empire for Athens.

1850, George Grote, A History of Greece; from the Earliest Period to the Close of the Generation Contemporary with Alexander the Great, volume 8:

(military) Capable of being defended against assault or attack; defensible

удържим

of a defensive structure: capable of being defended


environ

en-verb

environ (third-person singular simple present environs, present participle environing, simple past and past participle environed)

environs (present singular third-person)
environing (participle present)
environed (participle past)
environed (past)
environ (infinitive)
environ (first-person present singular)
environed (first-person past singular)
environned (archaic first-person past singular)
environ (present second-person singular)
environest (archaic present second-person singular)
environed (past second-person singular)
environedst (archaic past second-person singular)
environned (archaic past second-person singular)
environs (present singular third-person)
environeth (archaic present singular third-person)
environed (past singular third-person)
environned (archaic past singular third-person)
environ (plural present)
environed (past plural)
environned (archaic past plural)
environ (present subjunctive)
environed (past subjunctive)
environned (archaic past subjunctive)
environ (imperative present)
environing (participle present)
environed (participle past)
environned (archaic participle past)

From Middle English envirounen, enviroun (“to surround in a circle or ring, or on the perimeter; to beset, besiege; to cover, enclose, envelop; to provide a setting or surrounding to; to move in a circle; to move around the perimeter; to go, move, or wander about (a place); to fill or pervade (a place); to run all the way through”) [and other forms], from Anglo-Norman envirouner [and other forms], Middle French environner, and Old French environner (“to arrange in a circle; to circumnavigate, travel around; to traverse, wander around; to encircle, encompass, surround”) [and other forms] (modern French environner), from environ (adverb) (see etymology 1) + -er (suffix forming verbs).
Cognates
* Catalan environar (obsolete)
* Old French avironer, avironner (Middle French avironer, avironner, Anglo-Norman avironer, aviruner)
* Spanish environar (obsolete)

nb...

enueroun, enuerown, enueyron, enuiron, enuyron, enuyronne, enuyroun, enuyrounne, enuyrowne, enverom, enveron, enveroun, enverounen, enverroun, environ, environne, enviroune, envirowne, envyron, envyrone, envyroun, envyroune, envyrown

اِكْتَنَفَ

to encircle or surround (someone or something) — see also encircle, surround

The Erle in good haſte departed thence to Penbroke, whome incontinent Morgan Thomas, by king Edwards commaundement ſo ſtrongly beſieged, and ſo enuironed his Caſtell with a ditche and a trench, that he could not lightly flie or eſcape thence, […]

1569, Richard Grafton, “Edwarde the Fourth”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume II, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 712:

Philopœmen fearinge to be enuironned, and being deſirous to bring his men ſafe home againe, vvho moſt of loue had follovved him: beganne to marche avvay through narrovv buſhy places, him ſelfe being in the rerevvard, and turned oftentimes vpon his enemies, […]

1579, Plutarke of Chæronea [i.e., Plutarch], “The Life of Philopœmen”, in Thomas North, transl., The Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romaines, […], London: […] Richard Field, →OCLC, page 406:

Enuironed he vvas vvith many foes, / And ſtood againſt them, as the hope of Troy / Againſt the Greekes, that vvould haue entred Troy.

c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 152, column 2:

The King [Cynewulf of Wessex] had an intrigue vvith a young vvoman, vvho lived at Merton in Surrey; vvhither having ſecretly retired, he vvas on a ſudden environed, in the night-time, by Kynehard and his follovvers, and after making a vigorous reſiſtance, vvas murdered, vvith all his attendants.

1762, David Hume, “ Chapter I.”, in The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Accession of Henry VII, volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […], →OCLC, page 39:

Where slavery wields her scourge of iron, / Red with mankind's unheeded gore, / And war's mad fiends environ, / Mingling with shrieks a drunken roar, […]

1813, Percy Bysshe Shelley, “Notes. IV. Page 54. Falsehood and Vice: A Dialogue.”, in Queen Mab; […], London: […] P. B. Shelley, […], →OCLC, page 130:

To encircle or surround (someone or something).

(often military) To encircle or surround (someone or something) so as to attack from all sides; to beset.

Az[ure], an annulet environing a barrulet, betw[een] two bars and in chief a cross patty fitchy or.

1874, John W[oody] Papworth, “1 ANNULET betw. or within … and in chief …”, in Alfred W. Morant, editor, An Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland; […], London: T. Richards, […], →OCLC, page 4, column 2:

(heraldry, chiefly passive voice, obsolete) To encircle or surround (a heraldic element such as a charge or escutcheon (shield)).


SSR

(US, military, nautical, obsolete) Initialism of subsurface radar, a radar picket submarine.

(military) Initialism of special support and reconnaissance.


PW

en-noun

PW (countable and uncountable, plural PWs)

(Canada, military, countable) Initialism of prisoner of war.


RTO

RTO (countable and uncountable, plural RTOs)

(military) Initialism of radiotelephone operator.


klick

* Most likely a pseudo-condensed pronunciation of kilometer, being a suitably short word emphasizing k+l instead of /keɪ/ alone (the same principle as with military spelling alphabets, but also clearly distinguished from kilo (/kiːloʊ/) for kilogram).
* Possibly onomatopoeic of the sound of a military odometer. When a soldier would complete a mark, they would signal to their commander and denote movement of 1,000 meters by hoisting up their rifle and moving the gas regulator with their thumb, which made a "click" the commander could hear.

Several klicks closer, the ruins of the City of Poets rose jaggedly against the skyline.

1990, Dan Simmons, The Fall of Hyperion, 1st edition, New York: Doubleday, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 165:

an asteroid between one and three kilometers wide had slammed into the ground at fifteen klicks per second.

2002 May, Robert J. Sawyer, Hominids (The Neanderthal Parallax; 1), Tor, →ISBN, page 82:

Chief, can you hear me?...(static) My bird's down. Half a klick -(static)- downriver from your position.

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Avery Johnson (David Scully), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Sierra 117:


slipped

Gu . on a bend ar. three trefoils slipped vert.

1864, Bernard Burke, The General Armory of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, page 463:

Arg. in chief three trefoils slipped vert in base […]

1874, John Woody Papworth, An Alphabetical Dictionary of Coats of Arms Belonging to Families in Great Britain and Ireland, page 866:

(heraldry, of a plant) With part of the stalk displayed.


on the bench

(historical, UK military, of a captain) Waiting to command his first vessel and assume the position of post-captain, ensuring further promotion will remain a matter of seniority rather than merit or ability.


trooper

From troop + -er, from French troupe. The sense of “one who endures adversity” comes from trouper (“member of an acting troupe”) but through assimilation with the sense of “soldier” has come to be usually spelled “trooper”.

(military) A soldier of private rank in cavalry or armor.

She was built by William Denny & Bros. Ltd., and launched in 1939, but went immediately on active service as a trooper.

1947 January and February, “Notes and News: New Southern Channel Steamer”, in Railway Magazine, page 49:

(British, nautical, military) A troopship.

(US, law enforcement) Ellipsis of state trooper.

(Australia, law enforcement) A mounted policeman.


HGV

hypersonic glide vehicle
w:hypersonic glide vehicle

(aviation, aerospace, military) Initialism of hypersonic glide vehicle.


floater

From float + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).

kelluva esine

thing which physically floats in a gas or liquid

leijuri

thing which moves from place to place, as if floating

A dock worker saw him floating against a dock pier and called the police. Condition of the body they thought a floater that had been hit by a boat and cut by the prop.

2017 September 18, E. J. Stauffer, chapter 3, in The Drowning, Bloomington, Ind.: Archway Publishing, →ISBN:

A person who physically floats in a gas or liquid.

(law enforcement, slang) A corpse floating in a body of water.

(figurative) A person without a fixed or lasting affiliation, position, or role.

A voter who shifts their allegiance from one political party to another, especially (US) one whose vote can be illegally purchased.

puoluettaan vaihtava äänestäjä

(US) A person who votes illegally in various electoral districts or polling places, either under a false voter registration or under the name of a properly registered voter who has not yet voted.

laittomasti moneen kertaan äänestävä

(US) A person, such as a delegate to a convention or a member of a legislature, who represents an irregular constituency, such as one formed by a union of the voters of two counties neither of which has a number sufficient to be allowed one (or an extra) representative of its own.

epätavallisen vaalipiirin edustaja

person who represents an irregular constituency


ballet

en-noun

ballet (countable and uncountable, plural ballets)

Borrowed from French ballet, from Italian balletto (“short dance, ballet”), diminutive form of ballo (“group dance”), from Late Latin ballō (“to dance”).

der

9. Peter West, Ar. bears sable Ballets argent a Lyon Rampant.

1741, Richard Izacke, Remarkable Antiquities of the City of Exeter … by Richard Izacke … Second Edition:

(heraldry, uncommon) A (small) ball i.e. roundel on a coat of arms, called a bezant, plate, etc., according to colour.


WTFO

Could be credited to George Carlin "WTF". However, he may have picked it up when he was a radar operator in the United States Air Force.

(military, slang, 1970s) what the fuck, over!


flimsy

en-noun

flimsy (countable and uncountable, plural flimsies)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-flimsy.wav

British Army
Crusader tank
Monadhliath Mountains
North African Campaign

The origin of the adjective is uncertain; it is possibly from flim(-flam) (“(noun) false information presented as true, misinformation, nonsense; poor attempt at deception, confidence trick, pretence; (adjective) frivolous, nonsensical; deceptive; fictitious”) or a metathesis of film (“thin layer of a substance; slender thread”) + -sy (suffix forming adjectives and nouns).
The noun and verb are derived from the noun. Noun sense 4 (“metal container”) refers to the fact that the containers often split along their seams and leaked.

affix

A perusal of the comments of officers under whom he [Captain Duncan Herbert Stevens] has served as recorded in his “flimsies" indicates that he has almost consistently received high commendation for his service.

1964 August 13, John [Armstrong] Spicer, Commissioner, “Officers Principally Concerned”, in Report of Royal Commissioner on Loss of H.M.A.S. “Voyager” (Papers Presented to Parliament; XIII), Canberra, A.C.T: [F]or the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia by A. J. Arthur, Commonwealth Government printer, →OCLC, page 3:

Regulations required a commanding officer to render annual confidential reports on the character and ability of his officers – with particular reference to sobriety – on forms known as ‘flimsies’.

1994, John Wells, “The Community of the Mid-Victorian Navy”, in The Royal Navy: An Illustrated Social History 1870–1982, Stroud, Gloucestershire; Dover, N.H.: Alan Sutton Publishing in association with the Royal Naval Museum, Portsmouth, →ISBN, page 7:

(by extension) A document printed or typed on such paper.

(naval slang, countable) A service certificate.

But the Q[uartermaster] has ballsed-up T3 patrol's fuel ration; instead of jerry cans we get "flimsies," the notorious four-gallon containers made of metal so thin you can practically puncture it with a fingernail. Flimsies come two to a case, packed in cardboard. Of seventy-six that Collier's crew take down from the Mack, twenty-one are leaking at the seams; eleven have drained half to nil.

2008, Steven Pressfield, chapter 10, in Killing Rommel […], New York, N.Y.: Doubleday, →ISBN, page 98:

(UK, military slang) A hexahedral metal container with a capacity of four imperial gallons (about 18 litres) used by the British Army during World War II to hold fuel.

kanisteri

metal container used by the British Army during World War II to hold fuel


New Labour

From the slogan “New Labour, New Britain”, used by Tony Blair in his 1994 Labour Party Conference speech.

(UK politics) A movement in the 1990s and 2000s to rebrand the British Labour Party by discarding traditional goals such as nationalization and socialism.


stakeholder society

en-noun

stakeholder society (plural stakeholder societies)

(politics) A society whose members have both rights from it, and duties or responsibilities to it; a concept within the New Labour movement.


October surprise

October surprise (plural October surprises)

(US politics) An occurrence that unexpectedly comes to public attention just prior to a November election, especially a presidential election, and that is likely to affect the outcome.


DL

DL (countable and uncountable, plural DLs)

DLs (plural)
D.L. (alternative)
D. L. (alternative)
dl (alternative)
d/l (alternative)
D/L (alternative)

(military, nautical) Initialism of light destroyer, a variant of the destroyer type of warship.

light destroyer

destroyer leader
destroyer leader#English

(military, nautical) Initialism of destroyer leader, a variant of the destroyer type of warship.


From the Selective Service Classification code.

(US, military) A military draftee rejected for being physically unfit.


IAD

IAD (countable and uncountable, plural IADs)

(law enforcement) internal affairs department


bagman

[…] in a locked metal suitcase carried on the President's travels by a warrant officer irreverently known as "the bagman."

1968, Newsweek, volume 72, numbers 10-18, page 28:

The bagman clutching the nuclear football like an undertaker at a wedding. Cameras flashed and clicked, recording the scene. 'Good morning, Mr President,' they chorused.

(US, politics, slang) An officer assigned to travel with the president and carry the "nuclear football".

2016, David Akin, "Tory 'bagman' boasts about party's bank account, Toronto Sun, 28 May,
Proud to call himself the "bagman" of the Conservative Party, former senator Irving Gerstein boasted about the financial health of his party Friday.

(Canada, politics, informal) A prominent fundraiser for a political party or similar cause


SAW

squad automatic weapon
squad automatic weapon

section automatic weapon
section automatic weapon

(military, US) A squad automatic weapon or section automatic weapon, a kind of light machine gun.


clinch

→ Czech: klinč

→ German: Clinch

→ French: clinch

→ Portuguese: clinche

→ Russian: клинч (klinč)

→ Serbo-Croatian: klȉnč

→ Polish: klincz

→ Swedish: klinch

(wrestling, combat sports) The act of one or both fighters holding onto the other to prevent being hit or engage in standup grappling.


atomic bomb

H. G. Wells
The World Set Free
atomic bomb

Coined by British science fiction author H. G. Wells in his 1914 novel The World Set Free.

The gaunt face hardened to grimness, and with both hands the bomb-thrower lifted the big atomic bomb from the box and steadied it against the side.

1914, H[erbert] G[eorge] Wells, chapter 2, in The World Set Free:

(countable, military) A nuclear weapon that obtains its destructive energy from nuclear fission.


court martial

court martial (plural (formal) courts martial or (informal) court martials)

courts martial (formal plural)
court martials (informal plural)
court-martial (alternative)
courtmartial (alternative)

A calque of French cour martiale, hence the unusual order of adjective following noun.

(law, military) A court where cases of military law are heard.

(law, military) A trial before such a tribunal.


court martial

en-verb

court martial (third-person singular simple present court martials, present participle (US) court martialing or (UK) court martialling, simple past and past participle (US) court martialed or (UK) court martialled)

court martials (present singular third-person)
court martialing (US participle present)
court martialling (UK participle present)
court martialed (US participle past)
court martialed (US past)
court martialled (UK participle past)
court martialled (UK past)
court-martial (alternative)
courtmartial (alternative)

(law, military) To subject to trial in a military court.


luchador

en-noun

luchador (plural luchadors or luchadores)

professional wrestling
professional wrestling

(professional wrestling) A Mexican professional wrestler, frequently (but not always) masked.


detain

en-verb

detain (third-person singular simple present detains, present participle detaining, simple past and past participle detained)

detains (present singular third-person)
detaining (participle present)
detained (participle past)
detained (past)

From Old French detenir. Cognate with Italian detenere, Portuguese deter, Romanian deține, and Spanish detener.

In April of 2009, however, the disease was found to suddenly no longer be appearing in newly-hatched chickens, and, upon review, it was discovered that Dr. Wildcat had modified 6002 without authorization, removing the disease from the genome. She's detained and questioned by Muller, and, even though she tries to lie that she didn't do anything, they have footage of her ascending the tree on her own.

2021 August 16, “Exploring the SCP Foundation: SCP-6002 - All Creatures Great and Small” (19:06 from the start), in The Exploring Series, archived from the original on 2023-01-10:

(transitive, law enforcement) To put under custody.


POL

(military) Initialism of petroleum, oil, and lubricants; consumable supplies for vehicles and machinery, collectively.


AAR

(military, management) after-action report; after-action review.


mawashi

From Japanese 廻し or 回し (mawashi), same meaning.

(sumo) The belt worn by rikishi during training and in competition


CLG

guided-missile light cruiser
guided-missile light cruiser#English

(military, nautical) Initialism of guided-missile light cruiser.


terrace

Borrowed from French terrasse, from Old Occitan terrassa, from terra (“land”). Doublet of terrasse.

VAN GENNEP uses, Or, on a terrace vert a tulip gules, slipped proper and crowned of the first; LOKE in Zealand has : Argent , on a terrace vert a tulip or, slipped and leaved proper.

1892, John Woodward, George Burnett, A Treatise on Heraldry, British and Foreign: With English and French Glossaries, page 337:

The whole upon a terrace gules. CREST : A coronet of nobility of five pearls. MOTTO : Omnia Pro Libertate.

267); "Argent, on a terrace vert, a cannon mounted or, supporting a Bird of Paradise proper" [Rjevski and Yeropkin];

2022 September 16, Arthur Charles Fox-Davies, A Complete Guide to Heraldry, DigiCat:

(heraldry) A champagne, (an ordinary occupying) the base of the shield.


bullpen

(US, military slang) A military prison or its enclosing stockade.


martingale

martingales (plural)
martingal (alternative)

From Middle French martingale, from Occitan martegalo, feminine form of martegal, an inhabitant of Martigues, which is from Latin maritima. Alternatively from Spanish almártaga.
The meaning in gambling may come from an old usage of "à la martingale" to mean absurdly, foolishly.https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/home/text/class/sem/html/home/notes/martingales/martingales.pdf

(fencing) A strap attached to the sword handle, preventing a sword being dropped if disarmed.


webbing

en-noun

webbing (countable and uncountable, plural webbings)

(military) A belt and shoulder harness with attached pouches used to carry a soldier's equipment, water, ammunition, etc.


LV

LV (countable and uncountable, plural LVs)

LVs (plural)
L.V. (alternative)
L. V. (alternative)


agitprop

agitprop (countable and uncountable, plural agitprops)

agitprops (plural)
agit prop (alternative)
agit-prop (alternative)

/ˈædʒɪtpɹɒp/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-agitprop.wav

/ˈæd͡ʒətˌpɹɑp/

The noun is borrowed from Russian агитпро́п (agitpróp, “agitprop”), Агитпро́п (Agitpróp, “Agitprop (Department for Agitation and Propaganda of the Soviet Union)”), short for отде́л агитации и пропаганды (otdél agitacii i propagandy, “Department for Agitation and Propaganda”); analysable as a blend of agitation + propaganda.
The verb is derived from the noun.

bor

The letter was pure puffery, probably written by some clerk in North Korea's agitprop bureau, but [Donald] Trump loved it.

2020 June 23, John Bolton, “The Singapore Sling”, in The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 96:

Like most pieces of agitprop, the Lucas and Sargent paper vastly overstated the deficiencies of the old order.

2024, Jeremy B. Rudd, A Practical Guide to Macroeconomics, p. 2

(uncountable, also attributively) Political propaganda disseminated through art, drama, literature, etc., especially communist propaganda; (specifically, communism, historical) such propaganda formerly disseminated by the Department for Agitation and Propaganda of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

агітпро́п

political propaganda disseminated through art, etc.

(countable) An instance of such propaganda.

(countable) An organization or person engaged in disseminating such propaganda.


agitprop

en-verb

agitprop (third-person singular simple present agitprops, present participle agitpropping, simple past and past participle agitpropped)

agitprops (present singular third-person)
agitpropping (participle present)
agitpropped (participle past)
agitpropped (past)
agit-prop (alternative)

/ˈædʒɪtpɹɒp/

/ˈæd͡ʒətˌpɹɑp/

Anyone who has seen a class struggler at work, agitpropping around Union Square, or the back streets of the Loop, realizes that, by the very nature of things, he or she is so possessed of that particular barricading dream as to lose touch with all reality, [...]

1929, Harry W[ellington] Laidler, Norman Thomas, editors, The Socialism of Our Times: A Symposium (Prelude to Depression), New York, N.Y.: Da Capo Press, published 1976, →ISBN, page 241:

With respect to a poet's facility in logomachy, boredom in the area of power politics theorisation, the seriousness or gaiety with which he agitprops his ego, the degree of his attitude toward the superior poet, or the rebelliousness or conformity of his disciples?

1957, Trace, London: Villiers Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 10:

This is to suggest that the university will leave behind its more limited work and bourgeois integrity in order to undertake the task of brain-trusting and agitpropping for the revolution.

1971, Stephen D[enis] Kertesz, editor, The Task of Universities in a Changing World (International Studies of the Committee on International Relations, University of Notre Dame), Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, →ISBN, page 89:

Envoys and missionaries agitpropped in the four corners of the Empire, [...]

1987, Fatma Mansur, Phoenix in Her Blood: A Historical Entertainment, Beverley, North Humberside: Eothen Press, →ISBN, page 157:

More an insecure platform for Mr. [Mbongeni] Ngema's didacticism than a play with a life of its own, "Township Fever" is agit-propped with polemical sloganeering.

1990 December 20, Mel Gussow, “Review/Theater; apartheid re-echoes in a musical rendering of a strike’s bitterness”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2015-05-25, section C, page 11, column 1:

The double agent was Grant Bristow, who agit-propped for—not against—the right-wing Heritage Front and is now hiding in a safe house.

1993, Instauration, Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Howard Allen Enterprises, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 31, column 1:

I knew that he [Allen Van Newkirk] agitpropped other poetry readings and media events, e.g. the Underground Press Syndicate conference in Madison (shouting, "All media are lies").

2005, Richard Grossinger, On the Integration of Nature: Post-9/11 Biopolitical Notes, Berkeley, Calif.: North Atlantic Books, →ISBN, page 99:

(ambitransitive, politics) To disseminate (something as) political propaganda, especially communist propaganda, through art, drama, literature, etc.


theocrat

(politics, religion) The ruler of a theocracy, a priest-king.

(politics, religion) A proponent of theocracy.


black and white

en-noun

black and white (plural black and whites)

The police car sense reflects a traditional livery scheme for such cars.

[T]he news bunny ran up to him, saying, "Officer, did you have trouble catching up with Batman? Was it an exciting chase?" The surfer cop struck a semi-heroic pose for the camera and said, "Weak sauce." Then he quickly walked Batman to the black-and-white, where he was put into the backseat.

2006, Joseph Wambaugh, Hollywood Station […], New York, N.Y.: Little, Brown and Company, →ISBN, page 237:

(US, slang, law enforcement) A police patrol car.


tetrarchy

tetrarchies (plural)
Tetrarchy (alternative)
tetradarchy (alternative)

From Latin tetrarchia, from Ancient Greek τετραρχία (tetrarkhía), from τετρα- (tetra-, “four”) + -αρχία (-arkhía, “-archy: rule”), equivalent to tetra- + -archy.

Constantius was not born to the purple and Maximianus was the only original member of the First Tetrarchy from whom Constantine could satisfactorily derive his rule.

1996, Sam Lieu, “2: Constantine's "Pagan" Vision: The anonymous panegyric on Constantine (310), Pan. Lat. VII(6)”, in Samuel N. C. Lieu, Dominic Montserrat, editors, From Constantine to Julian: Pagan and Byzantine Views: A Source History, published 2003, page 66:

The abdication of Diocletian and Maximian in 305, whether long-planned or just the product of the senior emperor's recent ill health, created a second Tetrarchy, in which the dominant figure should have been Galerius.

2010, Roger Collins, Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000, 3rd edition, page 16:

His imperial reorganization saw authority divided between four rulers, the Tetrarchy, to oversee the recovery.

2015, David M. Gwynn, chapter I, in Christianity in the Later Roman Empire: A Sourcebook, page 15:

(politics) A government where power is shared by four people, especially (historical) the Herodian tetrarchy established in Judea after the death of Herod and the Tetrarchy of Diocletian which ruled the Roman Empire in the years 293-313.


nelson

Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson
Nelson (cricket)
Nelson hold

Cricket sense: origin disputed; supposedly from the belief that Lord Nelson had one eye, one arm and one leg.
Wrestling sense: Back-formation from full nelson.

(wrestling) A wrestling hold in which a wrestler's arm is locked behind their back.


striker

lyöjä

someone or something that hits someone or something else

Someone or something that hits someone or something else.

(firearms, military) A mechanism of a firearm acting upon the firing pin.

"Dog-robber" has a definite significance to some army men; but unless one has spent some time in uniform he will probably have to search long for its meaning: an officer's servant or striker.

1921, Franklyn Bliss Snyder, Ronald Salmon Crane, The English of Business, page 90:

(military, slang) An officer's servant or orderly.

w:Webster's Dictionary#Webster's New International Dictionary 1909

(obsolete, politics) A blackmailer in politics.

(obsolete, politics) One whose political influence can be bought.


Hispanicism

More recently there has burst forth an enthusiastic Hispanicism, no longer the Hispanicism of Columbus Day with its odes to the great navigator, nor the Hispanicism of the bull fighters and the cabaret singers, but a historical Hispanicism […]

1959, Lewis Hanke, Modern Latin America: Continent in Ferment, Van Nostrand, page 131:

One French writer argued that Hispanicism was a proper response to U.S. expansionism, provided Spain could assure its sister Latin states in Europe (France and Italy) that their interests were not endangered.

1994, James W. Cortada, Spain in the Nineteenth-century World, Greenwood Press, →ISBN, page 126:

(politics) Support for hegemony of Spain.


PN

(Malaysia, politics, uncountable) initialism of Perikatan Nasional (“National Alliance”)


palooka

H. L. Mencken
Ham Fisher
Joe Palooka
The American Language

Used in the US since the 1920s, originally primarily of boxers. Popularized by Jack Conway of Variety, who also popularized baloney and bimbo. Further popularized by Ham Fisher in his comic strip Joe Palooka about a boxer (published in newspapers since 1930, particularly popular in 1940s).

unk

Used

But [Jack] Dempsey against some palooka who had been press agented into greatness and into the form of a Dempsey menace — that would pack any outdoor arena.

Butch: Lookin' at somethin', friend?
Vincent: I ain't your friend, palooka.

1994, Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary, Pulp Fiction:

(US, boxing, bridge, etc) Someone incompetent or untalented.


(politics) Initialism of people-to-people.


profiling

en-noun

profiling (usually uncountable, plural profilings)

(military, historical) In the construction of fieldworks, the erection at proper intervals of wooden profiles, to show to the workmen the sectional form of the parapets at those points.


pop-up

(military) Employing the cold launch technique.


EIN

Employer Identification Number
w:Employer Identification Number

(US, taxation) Initialism of Employer Identification Number.


disjointed

en-adj

disjointed (comparative more disjointed, superlative most disjointed)

more disjointed (comparative)
most disjointed (superlative)

a lion disjointed

(heraldry) Having the paws and head (but not the tail) detached from the body.


amplitude

en-noun

amplitude (countable and uncountable, plural amplitudes)

Borrowed from Middle French amplitude, from Latin amplitūdō, from amplus (“large”). By surface analysis, ample + -itude.

(firearms) The horizontal line which measures the distance to which a projectile is thrown; the range.


corkscrew

[…] the immovable McCoy let fly his most miraculous punch of the evening, of his lives, a world-beater of a right corkscrew, a punch years in the windup […]

2002, Darin Strauss, The Real McCoy, →ISBN, page 42:

(boxing, martial arts) A type of sharp, twisting punch, often one thrown close and from the side.

コークスクリュー

boxing, martial arts: a type of sharp, twisting punch


NGA

(military, US) Initialism of National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.


BRAC

w:Base Realignment and Closure Commission

(military, US) Acronym of Base Realignment and Closure Commission.


VARO

(US government) Acronym of Veterans' Affairs Regional Office.


no contest

Calque of Latin nolō contendere (“I don't want to contest”).

cal

(boxing, historical) The result of a boxing bout, promoted as an exhibition when the sport of boxing was illegal, when a knockout did not occur.

(boxing) A bout that the referee cancels early, either due to a serious injury early in the fight or due to a lack of action


ruck

Shah-e-Kot Valley, Afghanistan. March 2002. I strained to see over the soldiers in front of me. They were struggling to shuffle off the bird as quickly as they could. I dragged my ruck across the floor of the aircraft in my right hand.

2007, Brandon Friedman, The War I Always Wanted: The Illusion of Glory, →ISBN, page 57:

First of all – a “ruck” is nothing more than a backpack. So to "ruck march" is to carry a heavy duty backpack on a hike (loaded with gear and supplies).

2013 July 5, Brad McLeod, Top 10 Ruck Marching Tips, accessed 17 JUL 2015:

Rocky was only five foot six and skinny as a February coyote, but he could hump an eighty pound ruck across twenty mountain miles […]

2015, Sean T. Smith, Wrath and Redemption, →ISBN:

(slang, especially military) A rucksack; a large backpack.


sprawl

en-verb

sprawl (third-person singular simple present sprawls, present participle sprawling, simple past and past participle sprawled)

sprawls (present singular third-person)
sprawling (participle present)
sprawled (participle past)
sprawled (past)

From Middle English spraulen, from Old English spreawlian, ultimately through a Proto-Germanic form cognate with *spreutaną (“to sprout”) from Proto-Indo-European *sper- (“to strew”). Compare North Frisian spraweli.

(wrestling, martial arts) To scoot the legs backwards, so as to land on the upper back of an opponent attempting a takedown.


sprawl

en-noun

sprawl (countable and uncountable, plural sprawls)

(wrestling, martial arts) A defensive technique that is done in response to certain takedown attempts, where one scoots the legs backwards so as to land on the upper back of the opponent.


implode

en-verb

implode (third-person singular simple present implodes, present participle imploding, simple past and past participle imploded)

implodes (present singular third-person)
imploding (participle present)
imploded (participle past)
imploded (past)

Ragusa's campaign imploded after she confused coal mining with oil drilling during a speech.

(intransitive) To collapse or burst inward violently.

(politics, by extension) To suddenly lose support in all areas of a campaign simultaneously.


commie

(colloquial, army) A commercial vehicle.


carbuncle

/ˈkɑɹˌbʌŋ.kl̩/

From Middle English carbuncle, charbocle, from Old French carbuncle, charbuncle, from Latin carbunculus (“a small coal; a reddish kind of precious stone; a kind of tumor”), diminutive of carbō (“a coal, charcoal”). Doublet of Garfinkel and Garfunkel.

der

(heraldry) A charge or bearing supposed to represent the precious stone, with eight sceptres or staves radiating from a common centre; an escarbuncle.


testudo

en-noun

testudo (plural testudos or testudoes or testudines)

testudos (plural)
testudoes (plural)
testudines (plural)

Unadapted borrowing from Latin testūdō (“tortoise, turtle, lyre, type of military shelter”).

ubor

(Ancient Rome, military, historical) A shelter formed by a body of troops holding their shields or targets close together over their heads.


suspense

en-noun

suspense (usually uncountable, plural suspenses)

suspenses (plural)
suspence (alternative obsolete)

From Middle English suspense, suspence, from Anglo-Norman suspens (as in en suspens) and Old French suspens, from Latin suspēnsus.

She sent us that assignment with a suspense of noon tomorrow.


destroyer

/dəˈstɹɔɪ.ɚ/

From destroy + -er. Designating a warship, it is ellipsis of torpedo-boat destroyer, the longer term appearing at the end of the 19th century and the shorter form early in the 20th.

(military, nautical, historical) A small, fast warship with light gun armament, smaller than a cruiser, but bigger than a frigate.

(military, nautical) A larger warship with guided missile armament, usually intended for air defence or anti-ship roles. Often, but not always, larger than a frigate and smaller than a cruiser.

(science fiction, by extension) A starship of comparable role.


ROC

Translingual: ROC

(UK, military) The Royal Observer Corps, a United Kingdom defence organization (1925 to 1992).

[T]he old and tired purveyors of separatism in Québec continue to harp on what they contend Québec is not—essentially, “not the ROC”—in order to peddle their snake oil.

2002, L. Yves Fortier, “A Mature Exercise of Sovereignty”, in Osgoode Hall Law Journal, volume 40, numbers 3-4, page 426:

If Quebeckers believe that voting PQ means putting a knife to Canada’s throat, they should think again. The ROC is fed up with these threats.

2014 March 7, Jeffrey Simpson, “The rest of Canada will have choices to make”, in Globe and Mail, Canada, retrieved 2014-04-07:

(Canada, politics) The "Rest of Canada", i.e. Canada excluding the province of Quebec.


Canuck

Canucks (plural)
canuck (alternative)
Canack (alternative)
Cannack (alternative)
Canuc (alternative)
canuc (alternative)
Canuk (alternative)
Conuck (alternative)
Cunnuck (alternative)
Kanuck (alternative)
Kanuk (alternative)
K'nuck (alternative)

American Dialect Society
Greenwood Publishing Group
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Leiden University
University of Alabama Press

Origin uncertain, often hypothesized to derive from the name or speech of an early Canadian minority, later broadened to denote all Canadians:
* Since 1975, many scholars have come to think the name is from Hawaiian kanaka (“man”), a self-appellation of indentured colonial canoemen and Hawaiian sailors working off the Pacific Northwest, Arctic, and New England coasts, from French canaque (“indigenous Melanesian inhabitant of New Caledonia, Kanak”); or, more likely, American whalers’ pidgin, then re-interpreted as Can(adian) + a suffix. (More below on that [specific] putative suffix.) Compare English Kanak and German Kanake.
* Some dictionaries suggest it is derived from the first syllable of Canada, or its etymon Laurentian kanata (“village”), or a related word kanuchsa meaning “villager” in either Laurentian or another Iroquoian language; with the second syllable connected to Inuktitut inuk (“man; person”), from Chinook (“Aboriginal people of the U.S. Pacific Northwest”), or another First-Nation language ending like -oc, -uc, or -uq.
* Fanciful and unlikely suggestions include German genug von Canada (literally “enough of Canada”) (allegedly uttered by German mercenaries during the American War of Independence), French quelle canule (“what a bore”) (allegedly uttered by the French during a siege of Quebec), or the surname Connaught /ˈkɑ.nəxt/ (supposedly a French-Canadian nickname for the Irish).

noncog

(aviation, military, historical) The Avro Canada CF-100 fighter-interceptor aircraft, in use between 1952 and 1981.


honorable

en-adj

honorable (comparative more honorable, superlative most honorable)

more honorable (comparative)
most honorable (superlative)
honble (alternative)
Honorable (alternative)
honourable (alternative)
Honourable (alternative)

From Middle English honourable, from Old French honorable, honurable, from Latin honōrābilis, from honōrō (“I honour”); cognate with Italian onorabile, Spanish honorable. By surface analysis, honor + -able. In this sense, largely displaced Old English ārfæst.

Uncheered by friends, unhissed by foes, the honorable member blandly continued his speech […]

1872, Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, The Unkind Word, and Other Stories, page 145:

cabinet minister
cabinet minister#English

minister of state
minister of state#English

(politics) A courtesy title, given in Britain and the Commonwealth to a cabinet minister, minister of state, or senator, and in the United States to the president, vice president, congresspeople, state governors and legislators, and mayors.


fortify

en-verb

fortify (third-person singular simple present fortifies, present participle fortifying, simple past and past participle fortified)

fortifies (present singular third-person)
fortifying (participle present)
fortified (participle past)
fortified (past)
fortify (infinitive)
fortify (first-person present singular)
fortified (first-person past singular)
fortify (present second-person singular)
fortifiest (archaic present second-person singular)
fortified (past second-person singular)
fortifiedst (archaic past second-person singular)
fortifies (present singular third-person)
fortifieth (archaic present singular third-person)
fortified (past singular third-person)
fortify (plural present)
fortified (past plural)
fortify (present subjunctive)
fortified (past subjunctive)
fortify (imperative present)
fortifying (participle present)
fortified (participle past)

/ˈfɔɹtəˌfaɪ/

From Late Middle English fortifien, fortfien (“to strengthen (a castle, etc.) from attack; to strengthen (an army, etc.); to strengthen (a person), aid, support; to reinforce, support; to improve; to increase the efficacy of”), from Old French fortifier (modern French fortifier), from Late Latin fortificāre (“to strengthen, fortify”), from Latin fortis (“powerful, strong”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- (“to ascend, rise up; to be elevated or up high”) or *dʰerǵʰ- (“to be firm; robust, strong”)) + -ficō (suffix forming causative or factitive, or other verbs).

castellate

to strengthen (a place, etc.) by installing fortifications

Ile haue you learne to ſleepe vpon the ground, / March in your armor thorow watery fens, / […] / Then next, the way to fortifie your men, / In champion grounds, […]

c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The Second Part […], 2nd edition, part 2, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene ii, signature G4, recto:

They […] descended Snake river again, and encamped just above the American falls. Here they proceeded to fortify themselves, intending to remain here, and give their horses an opportunity to recruit their strength with good pasturage, until it should be time to set out for the annual rendezvous in Bear river valley.

1837, Washington Irving, chapter XI, in The Rocky Mountains: Or, Scenes, Incidents, and Adventures in the Far West; […], volume II, Philadelphia, Pa.: [Henry Charles] Carey, [Isaac] Lea, & Blanchard, →OCLC, page 120:

To increase the defences of (an army, soldiers, etc.), or put (it or them) in a defensive position.

укрепявам

to increase the defences of (an army, soldiers, etc.); to put (it or them) in a defensive position

But Baſilius (having bene the last day ſomevvhat vnprouided) novv had better fortified the ouerthrovvne ſconſe; and so vvell had prepared every thing for defence, that it vvas impoſſible for any valour from vvithin, to prevaile.

a. 1587, Philippe Sidnei [i.e., Philip Sidney], “[The Thirde Booke] Chapter 4”, in [Fulke Greville; Matthew Gwinne; John Florio], editors, The Countesse of Pembrokes Arcadia [The New Arcadia], London: […] [John Windet] for William Ponsonbie, published 1590, →OCLC, folio 307, recto:

Moreover Agrippa vvriteth, that this vvhole coaſt of Albanie (fortified vvith thoſe high and inacceſſible mountains of Caucaſus) containeth 425 miles.

1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book VI.] The Regions and People Confining upon the Scythian Ocean.”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], 1st tome, London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 121:

And ye haue numbred the houſes of Jeruſalem, and the houſes haue yee broken downe to fortifie the wall.

1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Isaiah 22:10, column 1:

There are but Three Tovvns in the Dominions of the Prince of Monaco. The chief of 'em is ſituate on a Rock that runs out into the Sea, and is vvell fortify'd by Nature.

1705, J[oseph] Addison, “Monaco, Genoa, &c.”, in Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 8:

[B]eſides puniſhing the diſaffection of the inhabitants, by pillaging the country, the French propoſed to ſeize and fortify St. Andrevv's, and to leave there a garriſon ſufficient to bridle the mutinous ſpirit of the province, and to keep poſſeſſion of a port ſituated on the main ocean.

1759, William Robertson, “Book III”, in The History of Scotland, during the Reigns of Queen Mary and of King James VI, till His Accession to the Crown of England. […], volume I, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar […], →OCLC, page 189:

To secure and strengthen (a place, its walls, etc.) by installing fortifications or other military works.

linnoittaa

to secure and strengthen (a place, etc.) by installing fortifications or other military works

At the ſame time, I fortified my ſelf vvith the French Captain, and the Supra Cargo, and the other Captain; […]

1725, [Daniel Defoe], “Part I”, in A New Voyage Round the World, by a Course Never Sailed before. […], London: […] A[rthur] Bettesworth, […]; and W. Mears, […], →OCLC, page 29:

(obsolete) To provide (a city, a fortress, an army, etc.) with equipment or soldiers.

[…] I vvill vvithdravv my ſelfe to the Riuer, & there fortifie for fiſh: for there reſteth no minute free from fight.

c. 1588 (date written; published 1591), [John Lyly], Endimion, the Man in the Moone. […], London: […] I[ohn] Charlewood, for the widdowe Broome, →OCLC, Act I, scene iii, signature C, verso:

For ſuch a time do I novv fortifie / Againſt confounding Ages cruell knife, / That he ſhall neuer cut from memory / My ſvveet loues beauty, though my louers life.

1609, William Shakespeare, “Sonnet 63”, in Shake-speares Sonnets. […], London: By G[eorge] Eld for T[homas] T[horpe] and are to be sold by William Aspley, →OCLC, signature E2, recto:

(military) To install fortifications or other military works; also (sometimes figurative), to put up a defensive position.

linnoittautua

to install fortifications or other military works; to put up a defensive position


Hon

Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament

(British, politics) Honourable (in the titles of Members of Parliament)


Rt Hon

Right Honourable
Right Honourable#English

(UK and Commonwealth politics) Abbreviation of Right Honourable (in the titles of Members of Parliament).


Rt. Hon.

(Canada, politics) Abbreviation of Right Honourable, in the titles of MPs, Members of Parliament.


RTU

en-verb

RTU (third-person singular simple present RTUs, present participle RTUing, simple past and past participle RTUed or RTU'd)

RTUs (present singular third-person)
RTUing (participle present)
RTUed (participle past)
RTUed (past)
RTU'd (participle past)
RTU'd (past)

(military, transitive) Initialism of return to unit.


EMI

en-noun

EMI (countable and uncountable, plural EMIs)

(healthcare) Initialism of elderly and mentally infirm.


Trojan horse

Trojan horses (plural)
Trojan Horse (alternative)

Russia thinks of an atomic authority as a Trojan horse to get behind the iron curtain and impair her defense, and there is some reason historically for this view.

1946 October, John Foster Dulles, quotee, American Bar Association Journal, volume 32, number 10, page 681:

Seen like this, huge western companies function like a Trojan horse when they are invited inside the boundaries of LDCs.

1995, Peter Saunders, Capitalism, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, →ISBN, page 38:

Had the Israelis and the Americans realized that the Oslo accords were merely a “Trojan horse” designed to promote the higher goal of Palestine’s complete liberation, he argued, “they would never have opened their fortified gates and let it inside their walls.”

2003, Efraim Karsh, Arafat's War, New York: Grove Press, →ISBN, page 64:

Indeed, it may turn out to be a Trojan horse that finally allows conservative ideologues, who have unsuccessfully laid siege to Medicare since the days of Barry Goldwater, to breach its political defenses.

2003, Krugman, Paul R., The Great Unraveling: Losing Our Way in the New Century, W. W. Norton & Company, published 2004, →ISBN, page 449:

(politics) A person, organization, social movement, piece of legislation, or ideology with a negative agenda or evil intentions under the guise of positive values or good intentions.

Troijan hevonen

politics: movement etc. with evil intentions


suppress

en-verb

suppress (third-person singular simple present suppresses, present participle suppressing, simple past and past participle suppressed)

suppresses (present singular third-person)
suppressing (participle present)
suppressed (participle past)
suppressed (past)

From Latin suppressus, perfect passive participle of supprimō (“press down or under”), from sub (“under”) + premō (“press”).

(military) To stop or prevent the enemy from executing unwanted activities like firing, regrouping, observation or others.


loiter

loiter (third-person singular simple present loiters, present participle loitering, simple past and past participle loitered)

loiters (present singular third-person)
loitering (participle present)
loitered (participle past)
loitered (past)

From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren ("to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle, ramble”)), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”), see lout. Cognate with Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle”), Alemannic German lottern (“to wobble”), German Lotterbube (“rascal”). More at lout, little.

gl

"to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch <i class="Latn mention" lang="nl">leuteren</i> (“to dawdle, ramble”)

der

(military, aviation) For an aircraft to remain in the air near a target.


arrows

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

(heraldry) Short darts feathered at the ends.


going forward

Going forward we plan to leverage our core competencies to gain market share.

[…] Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday that going forward, when flash floods were forecast, the city would go door-to-door in neighborhoods with high concentrations of such apartments and evacuate residents.

2021 September 3, Andy Newman, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, Tracey Tully, Jonah E. Bromwich, “Latest Updates: Death Toll Grows From Ida Flooding in Northeast”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(business, politics) In the immediate future and beyond.


septime

(fencing) The seventh defensive position, with the sword hand held at waist height, and the tip of the sword at knee level.


sector

sector
sector (Star Trek)
sector (instrument)

(military) An area designated by boundaries within which a unit operates, and for which it is responsible.

(military) One of the subdivisions of a coastal frontier.


master key

(law enforcement, slang) A shotgun shell designed for breaching doors.


stingray

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-stingray.wav

The device mimics a cell phone tower and gets the phone to connect to it. […] Once a signal is found, the stingray measures its strength and can provide a general location on the map.

2014, Catherine Nolan, Ashley M. Wilson, JD, The Audacity to Spy: How Government, Business, and Hackers Rob Us of Privacy, Technics Publications, →ISBN, page 74:

(US law enforcement) A device that simulates a cell tower, used to intercept cell phone communications.


rollover

en-noun

rollover (countable and uncountable, plural rollovers)

rollovers (plural)
roll-over (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-rollover.wav

(firefighting) The sudden ignition of flammable gases (produced by pyrolysis in an oxygen-poor environment) near the ceiling of a room or other enclosed space.

palokaasujen syttyminen

firefighting: the sudden ignition of flammable gasses (produced by pyrolysis in an oxygen-poor environment) near the ceiling of a room or other enclosed space


DPP

Democratic Party of the Philippines
w:Democratic Party of the Philippines

(Philippine politics) Initialism of Democratic Party of the Philippines.


garrison

/ˈɡæɹ.ɪ.sən/

/ˈɡæɹ.ɪ.sən/

/ˈɡɛɹ.ə.sən/

From Middle English garisoun, garysoun, from Old French garison, guarison, from guarir + -ison, ultimately of Germanic origin; thus a doublet of warison. Compare guard, ward; the modern meaning is influenced by (now obsolete) garnison.

(US, military, U.S. Space Force) A military unit, nominally headed by a colonel, equivalent to a USAF support wing, or an army regiment.


AT

AT (countable and uncountable, plural ATs)

air tanker
air tanker#English:_Q17485593

(firefighting, aviation) Abbreviation of air tanker.


IS

international studies
international studies#English

(politics) Initialism of international studies.


SCOTUS

Supreme Court of the United States
w:Supreme Court of the United States

(US politics) Acronym of Supreme Court of the United States.


sleeper

From Middle English sleper, equivalent to sleep + -er.

(martial arts, wrestling) A sleeper hold.


shoulder arms

(military) a position or command in the manual of arms in which one places a rifle on the either left or right shoulder, with the forearm parallel to the ground and the hand holding the butt.

(Commonwealth, military) a military command in which one places a rifle in the side of the flank and gripped by either left or right hand.


shoulder arms

en-verb

shoulder arms (third-person singular simple present shoulders arms, present participle shouldering arms, simple past and past participle shouldered arms)

shoulders arms (present singular third-person)
shouldering arms (participle present)
shouldered arms (participle past)
shouldered arms (past)

(intransitive, military) Of a soldier at drill, to place a rifle on the right shoulder, with the forearm parallel to the ground and the hand holding the butt.

(Commonwealth, intransitive, military) Of a soldier at drill, to place a rifle in the side of the flank and gripped by either left or right hand.


daisy cutter

daisy cutters (plural)
daisy-cutter (alternative)
daisycutter (alternative)

* From plowing through a field and flattening and mowing down hypothetical daisies.
* (explosive): From flattening vegetation in a round region creating a clearing reminiscent of a daisy flower

(military, slang) The BLU-82 bomb, known for its ability to flatten a forest into a helicopter landing zone.


blooper

(US, military, slang) The Vietnam-era M79 grenade launcher (due to its distinctive report).


SPD

In a quirk of German politics, the governing coalitions are often given names. The previous coalition government, headed by the SPD (red), included the Green Party (green) and Liberal Party (yellow) - together they were known as the “traffic light” coalition.

2025 February 22, Sebastian Shukla, Nadine Schmidt and Claudia Otto, “Germany is holding a national election. Here’s what’s at stake”, in CNN:

Social Democratic Party of Germany
w:Social Democratic Party of Germany

(German politics) Initialism of Social Democratic Party of Germany (“Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands”).


FDP

Free Democratic Party
w:en:Free Democratic Party (Germany)

(German politics) Initialism of Free Democratic Party of Germany (Freie Demokratische Partei); a German centrist classical liberal political party.


CDU

“I am certain that this so-called ‘firewall’ will stop after this election,” AfD youth wing leader Hannes Gnauck told CNN Sunday evening. He added, “There will be a CDU after Friedrich Merz, and this CDU will have to work together with the AfD.”

2025 February 24, Sophie Tanno and Nadine Schmidt, “Germany’s far-right may be frozen out of power, but the AfD is now a powerful force”, in CNN:

(German politics) Initialism of Christian Democratic Union (of Germany) (“Christlich Demokratische Union”) (a major mainstream German political party)


waved

en-adj

waved (comparative more waved, superlative most waved)

more waved (comparative)
most waved (superlative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-I learned some phrases-waved.wav

For quotations using this term, see Citations:waved.


eavesdropper

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-eavesdropper.wav

From eavesdrop + -er (“person or thing which does”).

suffix

[…] the Japanese Ministry of Defence rang the bell and informed the world's press about the Tokyo Express — the ironic Japanese nickname for the constant flow of Soviet flying eavesdroppers in Japanese airspace.

1986, Dick Van Der Aart, Aerial Espionage: Secret Intelligence Flights by East and West, page 96:

(military, slang) A surveillance aircraft.


Schwalbe

(aviation, military) The World War II Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter.


basic training

(military) The standard training regime for introducing new recruits to the organization's discipline and basic operational skills.


extraction

en-noun

extraction (countable and uncountable, plural extractions)

From Old French estraction, from Medieval Latin extractio.

(military) An act of removing someone from a hostile area to a secure location.


rearguard

rearguards (plural)
rear guard (alternative)
rear-guard (alternative)

/ˈɹɪəɹˌɡɑɹd/

From rear + guard. Attested in The Song of Roland c. 1150 (rereguarde). Doublet of retrogarde.

(military) The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force.


sovereigntist

sovereigntists (plural)
sovereignist (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-sovereigntist.wav

(Canada, politics) A supporter of political independence for Quebec from Canada.


shrapnel

shrapnel (usually uncountable, plural shrapnels)

From Shrapnel. Named after British army officer Henry Shrapnel (1761–1842) who invented an anti-personnel shell that transported a large number of bullets to the target before releasing them, at a far greater distance than rifles could fire the bullets individually. The surname is likely a metathesized form of Charbonnel, a diminutive of Old French charbon (“charcoal”) in reference to hair color, complexion, or the like.

skrapnel

fragments and debris thrown out by an exploding device

(military, historical) An anti-personnel artillery shell used in World War I which carries a large number of individual bullets or balls close to the target and then ejects them to allow them to continue along the shell's trajectory and strike the target individually.

(military, historical) The bullets or balls from the aforementioned type of artillery shell.

en:any shot, fragments, or debris from any explosion

(military) Any shot, fragments, or debris thrown out by an exploding shell, bomb, or landmine.


SDLP

"We know we can't bring those people back," said former deputy first minister Mark Durkan of the SDLP.

2023 April 7, Chris Andrews, quoting Mark Durkan, “Good Friday Agreement: Use courage and vision of 1998, says George Mitchell”, in BBC News:

Social Democratic and Labour Party
w:Social Democratic and Labour Party

(Northern Ireland, politics) Initialism of Social Democratic and Labour Party.


siege engine

siege engines (plural)
siege-engine (alternative)

/ˈsiːd͡ʒ ˌɛnd͡ʒɪn/

/ˈsid͡ʒ ˌɛnd͡ʒɪn/

PIE word
 *h₁én
From siege + engine (“large construction used in warfare”).

compound

Opposite this hill Bohemund's men now began to dig in a definite direction. For the besiegers had devised this new mischief against the city and invented a new knavish siege-engine to apply to the town. For as they dug, they went along under the ground like moles boring holes in the soil and in places protecting themselves by sheds with high roofs against the stones and arrows which were thrown from above, and in others propping up the earth above them with poles, and thus they went on in a straight line.

1928, Anna Comnena [i.e., Anna Komnene], “Book XIII”, in Elizabeth A[nna] S[ophia] Dawes, transl., The Alexiad (Byzantine Series), Cambridge, Ont.: In Parentheses Publications, published 2000, page 233:

The cavalry were on the wings and the siege-engines, mangonels and catapults, planted on sand-dunes.

1934, Robert Graves, chapter XXXII, in I, Claudius: […], New York, N.Y.: The Modern Library, →OCLC, page 401:

(weaponry, historical) A large weapon of war used during ancient and medieval times to batter fortifications, settlements, etc.; specifically, a trebuchet or other type of catapult.


TEA

(US politics) Initialism of taxed enough already.


line of fire

(military, weaponry) direction in which a weapon fires


line of battle

(military) The position of troops drawn up in their usual order without any determined maneuver.

ligne de bataille

(naval) The line or arrangement formed by vessels of war in an engagement.


line of march

(military, historical) The arrangement of troops during a march.

(historical, military) The course or direction taken by marching soldiers.


line of operations

en-noun

line of operations (plural lines of operations)

As a general rule, a line of operations should- be directed upon the centre, or one of the extremities of the enemy's line of defence; unless our forces be infinitely superior in number,

1846, Henry Halleck, Elements of Military Art and Science:

(military) That portion of a theater of war which an army passes over in attaining its object.


line of sight

lines of sight (plural)
line-of-sight (alternative)

(weaponry) The line which passes through the front and rear sight, at any elevation, when they are sighted at an object.


lineup

Before viewing the lineup, each witness should be required to give to the officer in charge of the lineup a written description of the perpetrator of the crime.

1999, John N. Ferdico, Criminal Procedure for the Criminal Justice Professional, page 498:

This innocent suspect is placed in a lineup with five fillers who look similar to that innocent suspect. Given this scenario, one may ask How many people are in the lineup because they fit the description of the perpetrator?

2007, Jack R. Greene, The Encyclopedia of Police Science, Taylor & Francis, →ISBN, page 493:

Foster was placed in a three-man lineup for viewing by the only witness (the manager of the office). Foster was about 6 feet tall, whereas the other two men in the lineup were about 5 feet 6 inches tall.

2007, Thomas J. Gardner, Terry M. Anderson, Criminal Evidence: Principles and Cases, page 264:

(US, law and law enforcement) a physical or photographic queue of people allegedly involved in a crime, allowing a witness to identify them


line of battle ship

line of battle ship (plural line of battle ships)

I have said that our roof was decidedly Biblical in style; but to make it a dry one, something of a nautical character was added to its architecture, for on either side were scuppers, and it was slightly arched in the centre; it was commonly said that two masts, a bowsprit and a swivel gun would have transformed our dwelling into a line-of-battle ship[.]

1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 112:

(nautical, military, obsolete) A ship of the line or battleship.


ablutions

(plural only, UK, military) The location or building where the showers and basins are located.


sejant

French séant, present participle of seoir (“to sit”). Doublet of sedent.


cadence

cadence (countable and uncountable, plural cadences)

Borrowed from Middle French cadence, from Old Italian cadenza (“conclusion of a phrase of music”), from Latin *cadentia (literally “a falling”), form of cadēns, the present participle of cadō (“I fall, I cease”). The Latin verb is inherited, via Proto-Italic *kadō, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱad-e- (“to fall”, thematic present). Doublet of cadenza and chance.

závěr

(music) chord progression concluding a section or piece

(fencing) The rhythm and sequence of a series of actions.

rytmi

(fencing) series of actions’ rhythm and sequence

(military) A chant that is sung by military personnel while running or marching; a jody call.


sharpshooter

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-sharpshooter.wav

sharp + shooter, a calque of German Scharfschütze.

(professional wrestling) A submission hold characterized by one wrestler twisting the other's legs upwards while sitting on their back.


culminate

en-verb

culminate (third-person singular simple present culminates, present participle culminating, simple past and past participle culminated)

culminates (present singular third-person)
culminating (participle present)
culminated (participle past)
culminated (past)

First attested in 1647; borrowed from Medieval Latin culminātus, perfect passive participle of culminō (“to crown”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from Latin culmen (“peak, the highest point”), older form columen (“top, summit”), from Proto-Italic *kolamen, from a Proto-Indo-European base *kol-, *kelH- (“to project, rise; peak, summit, top”), whence also English hill and holm.

der

Approaching from the south on foot, elements of the CG battalion were first to come into contact and their attack culminated because the rate and accuracy of the VC small arms fire. The CG battalions attempted two assaults to penetrate[…]

2014 August 15, Major Kevin R. Kilbride, Military Assistance Advisory Group-Vietnam (1954-1963): The Battle Of Ap Bac, Pickle Partners Publishing, →ISBN:

As a result, the attack culminated the first day without additional artillery support. The towns of Eclisfontaine and Epinonville were not held on the first day as originally directed in the Corps plan.

2014 August 15, Major Bryan L. Woodcock, 91st Infantry In World War I--Analysis Of An AEF Division's Efforts To Achieve Battlefield Success [Illustrated Edition], Pickle Partners Publishing, →ISBN, page 33:

(US, military, of an offensive, etc) To reach a point at which continued progress is not possible.


West Lothian question

Coined by Enoch Powell MP in 1977 after series of similar questions originally raised by Tam Dalyell, MP for West Lothian.

(British, politics) The anomaly whereby Scottish MPs can vote on issues affecting England, but English MPs cannot vote on Scottish issues.


action group

(US military) A component of a naval task force.


sortie

PIE word
 *upó
The noun is borrowed from French sortie (“act of exiting; exit, way out; (military) sally, sortie”), the feminine past participle of sortir (“to exit, go out”), from Old French sortir, from Latin sortīrī, the present active infinitive of sortior (“to cast or draw lots; to choose, select; to distribute, divide; to obtain, receive; to share”), from sors (“something used to determine chances, a lot; casting or drawing of lots; decision by lot; a share”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind, tie together; a thread”)), possibly influenced by surrēctus (“arisen, having been caused to arise; gotten up, having been gotten up”), the perfect passive participle of surgō (“to arise, get up, rise”), from subrigō (“to lift up; to straighten”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) + regō (“to direct, guide, steer; to govern, rule; to manage, oversee”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to right oneself, straighten; just; right”)).
The verb is derived from the noun.

scramble

emergency defensive air force mission to intercept attacking enemy aircraft

The events of these sieges show that a bold and vigorous sortie in force might carry destruction through every part of a besieger's approaches, where the guard is injudiciously disposed and ill commanded; but that if due precautions have been observed in forming the approaches and posting the defenders, any sortie from a besieged place must be checked with loss in their advance, when the approaches are still distant; or when the approaches are near, should a sortie succeed in pushing into them by a sudden rush, the assailants must inevitably be driven out again in a moment, with terrible slaughter.

1827, John T[homas] Jones, “[Notes.] Note 35 [Observations on the Several Sorties Made by the Garrisons of the Places Besieged in Spain].”, in Journals of Sieges Carried on by the Army under the Duke of Wellington, in Spain, between the Years 1811 and 1814. […], volume II, London: […] [C. Roworth] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 369:

(military, also attributively and figuratively)

An attack made by troops from a besieged position; a sally.

Their aircraft had no belly gunners and were at the mercy of Luftwaffe fighters that attacked from below. Whenever they lifted off on a mission, they departed with the knowledge that this sortie could easily be their last.

2019 May 8, Aron Heller, “These Jewish World War II Veterans Would Be Legends, if People Knew Their Stories”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

They are vastly outnumbered: Russia is believed to fly some 200 sorties per day while Ukraine flies five to 10.

2022 March 22, Maria Varenikova, Andrew E. Kramer, “How Ukraine’s Outgunned Air Force Is Fighting Back Against Russian Jets”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(aviation) An operational flight carried out by a single military aircraft.

sortie

[I]t was all encompassed by the palisades and breastworks, to which were but three sorties, whence the defenders might sally, or through which at need the vanguard might secure a retreat.

1848, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], chapter VII, in Harold, the Last of the Saxon Kings; […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, book XII (The Field of Hastings), pages 331–332:

(military) Synonym of sally port (“an entry to or opening into a fortification to enable a sally”).


Stinger

surface-to-air missile
surface-to-air missile

(military) The FIM-92 portable infra-red homing surface-to-air missile.


normalization

en-noun

normalization (countable and uncountable, plural normalizations)

normalizations (plural)
normalisation (alternative UK)

[ˌnoː.məˌlɑɪˈzæɪ.ʃn̩]

From normal + -ization or normalize + -ation.

Following the line pursued in recent months by President Mubarak, Mr. Ali said he was confident the peace treaty between the two former foes would presist^([sic]) and "create a good atmosphere for normalizations of relations in the coming months and years."

1982 April 25, William E. Farrell, “LOW-KEY CEREMONIES SET FOR SINAI TRANSFER TODAY”, in The New York Times:

On my first trip to China after normalization, I saw firsthand the possibility of leveraging Deng Xiaoping’s very real fear of the Soviets to gain specific intelligence aid from the People’s Republic of China.

2007, Joe Biden, “This Can't Hurt Us”, in Promises to Keep, New York: Random House, published 2008, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 143:

(diplomacy) Process of establishing normal diplomatic relations between two countries.

(politics) Sharing or enforcement of standard policies.


normalization

[ˌnoː.məˌlɑɪˈzæɪ.ʃn̩]

(politics) Peace efforts and treaties between the Arab League and Israel. See Arab–Israeli normalization.


bundler

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-bundler.wav

She [Sandberg] was a reliable and prominent Democratic bundler.

2021 July 8, Sheera Frenkel, Cecilia Kang, “Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg’s Partnership Did Not Survive Trump”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:


APC

Sill waved for an armored vehicle to come up from the rear. It was an APC with a small cannon on the top.

2022, Percival Everett, Dr. No, Influx Press (2023), page 264:

armored personnel carrier
armored personnel carrier#English

(military) Initialism of armored personnel carrier.


APC

All Progressives Congress
w:All Progressives Congress

(Nigeria, politics) Initialism of All Progressives Congress.


APC

(military) Initialism of armor piercing capped.


gunship

Roger that, Hocus. Friendly gunship, coming in hot!

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Avery Johnson (David Scully), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Sierra 117:

armoured fighting vehicle
armoured fighting vehicle

(US, air force, military) A transport airplane equipped with large calibre guns typical of armoured fighting vehicles


depth charge

The trailblazing Oaxacan chef Alejandro Ruiz […] has spiked this black-bean sauce with a hidden depth charge of flavor: patches of foliage from a local avocado tree. The leaves electrify the sauce with an unexpected thrum of black licorice.

2014 October 25, Jeff Gordinier, “In search of the perfect taco”, in T: The New York Times Style Magazine (international edition), page 100:

(military, nautical, aviation) A form of bomb, launched from a ship or dropped from an aircraft, that is designed to detonate at a certain depth underwater for the purposes of attacking a submerged enemy, especially a submarine.

глыбі́нная бо́мба

bomb designed to detonate at a certain depth underwater


depth charge

en-verb

depth charge (third-person singular simple present depth charges, present participle depth charging, simple past and past participle depth charged)

depth charges (present singular third-person)
depth charging (participle present)
depth charged (participle past)
depth charged (past)
depth-charge (alternative)

After the freighter was torpedoed, its escorting destroyers depth charged the submarine for two hours, but failed to sink it.

(transitive, military, nautical, aviation) To attack (a target, usually a submarine) with depth charges.


surface-to-air missile

en-noun

surface-to-air missile (plural surface-to-air missiles)

(military) A ground-based anti-aircraft missile.


air-to-air missile

air-to-air missile (plural air-to-air missiles)

(military) A missile that is fired from an aircraft to attack another aircraft.


backstop

backstops (plural)
back-stop (alternative)

[…] to be set up in Indonesia with a phony book and school supplies company established in New York City as a backstop.

1976, Joseph Burkholder Smith, Portrait of a Cold Warrior, page 116:

Closely representing an alibi, creating a backstop could involve such measures as having people available to verify the details of an agent's cover story.

1990, Bruce W. Watson, Susan M. Watson, Gerald W. Hopple, United States intelligence: an encyclopedia, page 1974:

(espionage) Something serving to bolster or support a cover story etc.


battalion

From Middle French battaillon (modern French bataillon).

(military) An army unit having two or more companies, etc. and a headquarters. Traditionally forming part of a regiment.

(US, military) an army unit having two or more companies, etc. and a headquarters; forming part of a brigade.


tradecraft

tradecraft (countable and uncountable, plural tradecrafts)

(espionage) The methods used in espionage and clandestine operations.


SB

SB (countable and uncountable, plural SBs)

SB 1211 was signed into law to streamline the process and takes effect in January. Currently you can have no more than two ADUs on a property, but the new law increases the limit to eight.

2024 December 25, Devin Trubey, “California to remove restrictions on ADUs, add enforcement if cities don't comply with housing laws”, in ABC10:

(law, politics, often followed by a number) Initialism of senate bill (“a bill proposed in or passed by a senate”) (Compare HB.)

senate bill

(law, politics) Initialism of state bill.


takedown

Takedown (grappling) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

(martial arts) A taking down: an act of bringing one's opponent to the ground by grabbing one or both legs and applying a rearward bending moment.


meathead

From meat + head.
The term meathead is often said to come from the classic 1970s television situation comedy All In The Family, wherein main character Archie Bunker (Carroll O'Connor) used the nickname to address his son-in-law, Michael Stivic (Rob Reiner), starting with the premiere episode ("Meet the Bunkers") that first aired January 12, 1971. The term is also used three times in the "Star Witness" episode of the television situation comedy Green Acres, an episode that first aired January 26, 1971, exactly two weeks after the premiere of All in the Family. However, the word appeared in writing as early as 1863.

(military, slang, Canada) A member of the Canadian Forces Military Police.


big gun

London, Nov. 1: The big guns opened fire on Paris today at mid-day.

1870 December 2, “The Suez Mail”, in Southland Times, number 1342, New Zealand, page 2:

The smaller crew was possible because the battleship was stripped of all but her big guns.

1968 March 26, “Battleship begins Viet Tests”, in Evening News, Newburgh, NY, USA, retrieved 2011-08-19, page 1:

The USS West Virginia became one of many symbols of American resolve. . . . Her big guns pounded the enemy at the battles of Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.

2008 December 6, William J. Bennett, John Cribb, “Deadly resolve answered attack”, in Daily Courier, USA, retrieved 2011-08-19:

(military) A large artillery gun or one of the largest-caliber naval guns (as on a battleship).


potent

[ˈpʰoʊ̯ʔn̩t]

[ˈpʰəʉ̯ʔn̩t]

From Middle English potent, borrowed from Latin potens, potentis (“powerful, strong, potent”), present participle of posse (“to be able”), from potis (“able, powerful, originally a lord, master”).

der

(heraldry) A heraldic fur formed by a regular tessellation of blue and white T shapes.


slighting

(military) The full or partial demolition of a fortification.


SSI

en-noun

SSI (countable and uncountable, plural SSIs)

shoulder sleeve insignia
w:shoulder sleeve insignia

(military, US) Initialism of shoulder sleeve insignia.


fairway

(military) A channel either from offshore, in a river, or in a harbor that has enough depth to accommodate the draft of large vessels. (JP 4-01.6)


Percy

Gallo-Roman
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland

Proper noun sense 1 (surname) and sense 3 (place names) are derived from Norman Percy (“a baronial surname”), from Percy-en-Auge (“a place in Pays d’Auge, Normandy, France”, literally “Percy in Auge”), from Old French Perci, from Late Latin Persiacum, from Latin Persius (“a Gallo-Roman nomen gentile”), from Etruscan 𐌐𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 (persu); further etymology uncertain, possibly from 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 (φersu, “mask”).
Proper noun sense 2 (given name) is either from the above, or is a clipping of Perc(ival) + -y (suffix forming familiar names).
The common noun is derived from the proper noun. Sense 2 (“penis”) is probably from the fact that Percy and penis begin with the same letter.

der

["]I must admit I'm not terribly good at figures." / "Never met an officer as was," said Sam. "Most of the young Percies in our mob had to take their boots off to count up to twenty. But don't worry about that. Aunty'll give you the figures. She's got 'em all in her head, like a bleedin' adding machine. It's her handwriting and spelling that gets everybody down. It's soddin' awful she can't read it herself five minutes after."

1974, Berkely Mather [pseudonym; John Evan Weston-Davies], chapter 21, in The White Dacoit, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →ISBN, page 196:

(military) An educated soldier; specifically, an officer.


bandit

en-noun

bandit (plural bandits or (archaic) banditti)

bandits (plural)
banditti (archaic plural)

Borrowed from Italian bandito (“outlawed”), a derivative of Italian bandire (“to ban”), from Late Latin bandīre, an alteration (due to Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bandwjan, “to signal”)) of Late Latin bannīre (“to ban”), from Frankish *bannan (“to ban”). Doublet of bandito.

(military, aviation) An aircraft identified as an enemy, but distinct from "hostile" or "threat" in that it is not immediately to be engaged.


fatigues

fatigues pl (plural only, attributive fatigue)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-fatigues.wav

(military) Menial duties, especially as punishment.


mooch

If we take Scaramucci’s 10-day figure to be the standard of measurement — one “mooch” — then Pruitt survived an amazing 50.3 mooches, even while enduring more than a dozen scandals, any one of which would have doomed a lesser man.

2018 July 6, Dana Milbank, The Washington Post:

Scaramucci, who jokingly measures time in mooches, a unit equal to approximately 11 days, said he doesn’t necessarily like the version of himself he often sees on screen, but feels director Andrew J. Moscato was accurate.

2018 October 27, John Carucci, “Anthony Scaramucci defends Trump, but doesn't always agree”, in Associated Press (press release)-:

I understand it's her job. But I would point out to people that Stephanie has lasted way more “Mooches” than me.

2019 August 29, Peter Nicholas, “Anthony Scaramucci Wants You to Believe Him This Time”, in The Atlantic:

(US politics, slang, humorous) Synonym of Scaramucci (“unit of time”).


guarded

en-adj

guarded (comparative more guarded, superlative most guarded)

more guarded (comparative)
most guarded (superlative)

On the helmet , which is of gold, affrontee, guarded with perpendicular bars, and adorned with a mantled gules, doubled, or, is this crest.

1819, Thomas George Lomax, A Short Account of the City and Close of Lichfield: To which is Added A Short Account of the Cathedral ..., page 31:

On a chapeau gules, guarded ermine, a gurnet (fish) urinant proper.

1866, John Edwin Cussans, The Grammar of Heraldry, page 84:

Sable, an eagle displayed argent, crowned with an electoral bonnet gules, guarded argent (or ermine).

Or, three swords in fess palewise azure, guarded vert, hilted gules; unidentified. Fouquet suggests that this is the device of the fictional king of Monteini, but notes that it might be the device of the fictional king of Bicheny.

2015 12, Elizabeth Archibald, David F. Johnson, Arthurian Literature XXXII, Boydell & Brewer, →ISBN, page 160:

(especially heraldry) Having a guard, e.g. a crossguard (on a sword), a faceguard (on a helmet), or a hatguard (on a chapeau).


ARC

(nautical, military) The Colombian Navy (Armada de la República de Colombia).


ARC

(nautical, military, initialism) ship's prefix for warships of the navy of Colombia.


value added tax

head

value added tax (plural value added taxes)

value added taxes (plural)
value-added tax (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-value added tax.wav

(taxation) A tax levied on the added value that results from the exchange of goods and services.

ضَرِيبَة عَلَى القِيمَةْ المَضَافَة

tax levied on added value of an exchange — see also VAT

imposto sobre a circulação de mercadorias


PFC

en-noun

PFC (countable and uncountable, plural PFCs)

If Steinkamp doesn't take off that hat and stop messing around, I'm gonna bust him into a PFC.

1962, The Manchurian Candidate, 01:56:35

private first class
private first class#English

(military) Initialism of private first class.


hardened

en-adj

hardened (comparative more hardened, superlative most hardened)

more hardened (comparative)
most hardened (superlative)
harden'd (alternative obsolete)

a hardened air base

a hardened server

(computing, military) Having extra defences against attack; highly fortified.


arty

Clipping of artillery, perhaps incorporating the suffix -y forming diminutive nouns.

(military, slang) An artillery crew member.


anti-personnel

An anti-personnel mine will kill a soldier but is ineffective against a tank.

(military) Referring to devices (typically weapons) intended to harm people in particular.


Nader effect

Named after Ralph Nader, whose candidacy for President of the United States in the year 2000 was contended to have "spoiled" the election for Al Gore, by taking away enough votes from Gore in Florida and many other states to allow George W. Bush to win.

(US politics) The effect that a candidate for the corresponding political office (especially the office of President of the United States) can have on a close political election, when their candidacy results in the election being won by a candidate dissimilar to them, rather than one similar to them.


grenadier

From French grenadier, corresponding to grenade + -ier.

(military) A type of soldier, originally one who threw grenades, later a member of a company formed from the tallest men of the regiment; now specifically, a member of the Grenadier Guards of Canada and the United Kingdom.


trifecta

In fact, there are about a dozen states, including California, Massachusetts, Washington, and Illinois, where Democrats have won the trifecta—they control the governor's seat as well as both houses of the state legislature.

2013 June 26, Steven Hill, “So the Voting Rights Act Is Gutted—What Can Protect Minority Voters Now?”, in The Atlantic:

It’s not just Florida, of course. Republican trifectas in states across the country have introduced and passed dozens of bills aimed at the public existence of trans and other gender-nonconforming people.

2023 December 12, Jamelle Bouie, “Red States and Blue States Are Becoming Different Countries”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(US politics) The complete legislative and executive control of state or federal government by one party: governorship, the upper house, and the lower house of state or federal legislatures.

trifekta

control by one party of the federal or state government


air-to-air

(aviation, military, of a missile) Fired from an aircraft in flight at another one.

vzduch-vzduch

fired from an aircraft in flight at another one


accountable disbursing officer

en-noun

accountable disbursing officer (plural accountable disbursing officers)

accountable disbursing officers (plural)

(military) Any commissioned military officer who receives and disburses public money in his own name for purposes specified by law.


bazooka

→ Arabic: بازوكة (bāzūka)

→ Chinese: 巴祖卡 (bāzǔkǎ)

→ French: bazooka

→ Dutch: bazooka

→ Finnish: bazooka

→ German: Bazooka

→ Indonesian: bazoka

→ Japanese: バズーカ (bazūka)

→ Korean: 바주카 (bajuka)

→ Macedonian: базука (bazuka)

→ Maranao: basoka

→ Polish: bazooka

→ Portuguese: bazuca

→ Romanian: bazooka

→ Spanish: bazuca

→ Swedish: bazooka

Bazooka (disambiguation)
Bob Burns (humorist)
European debt crisis

From an extension of the word bazoo (“mouth, boastful talk”), which ultimately probably stems from Dutch bazuin (“trumpet”). In the finance sense first used by policymakers during the European debt crisis (2010).

(weaponry) A shoulder-held rocket launcher used as an antitank weapon, developed by America during World War II and so-called from its resemblance to the bazooka musical instrument.


cupola

Borrowed from Italian cupola, from Latin cūpula (“little tub”); from Latin cūpa, cuppa (“cup”); named for its resemblance to a cup turned over.

(military, railroad) A small turret, usually on a hatch of an armoured fighting vehicle.


détente

détente (countable and uncountable, plural détentes)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-détente.wav

Unadapted borrowing from French détente (“relaxing”).

ubor

Analogous structural and political constraints stood in the way of a lasting détente between Germany and Britain.

2012, Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers, Penguin, published 2013, page 318:

No step the United States could take anywhere in the world would bring strategic benefits as great as detente with Iran.

2014 January 14, Stephen Kinzer, “Invading Iraq was dumb enough. Now Congress wants to derail the Iran deal”, in The Guardian:

(chiefly politics) A relaxing of tension, especially between countries.

разра́дка

a relaxing of tension, especially between countries


realpolitik

en-noun

realpolitik (countable and uncountable, plural realpolitiks)

realpolitiks (plural)
Realpolitik (alternative)

/ɹeɪˈɑːlpɒlɪˌtiːk/

Borrowed from German Realpolitik (literally “practical, realistic, fact-based, realism-based politics”).

bor+

It is Realpolitik in sport, and a Realpolitik which is not wholly unknown in England; but while the spirit of Realpolitik is still perceivable in German sport, it is equally perceivable that the standard English way of viewing sporting competition is becoming more and more approached in Germany.

1913, Stanley Shaw, William of Germany, page 357:

Possibly the Germans themselves regard their Realpolitik as but the continuation of the philosophic tradition of disillusionment: like Xenophanes they would remind us that the gods of the Ethiopians are snub-nosed and swart, of the Thracians blue-eyed and red-haired, and that if oxen had gods their gods would be oxen.

1918, Hartley Burr Alexander, Liberty and democracy: and other essays in war-time:

Realpolitik, in one or another form, is, therefore, from the standpoint of science and of abstract principle, immoral, unsound and no defense of it on the ground of concrete necessity can make it otherwise.

1932, Elisha Ely Garrison, The Riddle of Economics, page 254:

Twenty-first century nation states will no longer tolerate even the mild humiliation of hosting the detritus of 18th- and 19th-century empires. Most European empires were born of the realpolitik of power, mostly the treaties of Utrecht (1713) and Paris (1763). The same realpolitik now ordains their dismantling. An early purpose of the United Nations was to bring this about.

2013 August 14, Simon Jenkins, “Gibraltar and the Falklands deny the logic of history”, in The Guardian:

(politics) Pragmatic but usually expansionist government policy and politics focused on perceived national interests of the state to the near exclusion of ethical, moral, and theoretical objectives.

وَاقِعِيَّة سِيَاسِيَّة

pragmatic international government policy


welter-weight

Originally “heavyweight horseman” (1832), from welter (“heavyweight horseman”) + weight. Boxing sense 1896.

compound

(boxing) between lightweight and middleweight


welter-weight

welter-weights (plural)
welterweight (alternative)

(boxing) a boxer weighing more than a lightweight boxer and less than a middleweight boxer; someone boxing in the welterweight class


uke

From Japanese 受け (uke), the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 受(う)ける (ukeru, “to receive, to get”).

ja-ryk

(judo, martial arts) The training partner against whom tori performs a move.