European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 29, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes tuesday May 29,1990 word from Page 1 the left or hey Are you trying to play me to the left appears to be the opposite of playing someone straight or bin straight with someone. How Ever it s Uncertain whether someone can be played to the right. Ment crazy or agitated. Exam ple Sarge was going mint when John son showed up in formation without Ahat on or hey Don t go mint on the word appears to come from the British phrase i think he s gone completely wig out similar to ment except it implies helplessness or desperation because of too much stress. A angry sergeant can go ment but an overworked private will wig out. The process is called wigging As in Jones is wigging on us. Ate up tired or overstressed. A sergeant Lead ing a platoon of tired troops might refer to them As ate up Jettin out flying to or being reassigned to the United states. Example i m Jettin out on thurs replaces such earlier phrases As going onus taking the Silver Freedom Bird Home or pcs to fort most excellent priceless or first class. Example that lady is most a refugee from Early 80s Slang excellent is enjoying a comeback thanks to the hit movie Bill and Ted s excellent Advent however the modifier most must be added or you la be most old fashioned. Most bogus worthless or ill conceived. Sam rules As above apply. You the Man meanings vary but usually Sedas a response to a greeting. Example Good morning reply you the that la work of acceptable. Example hey is Effie Bathen from left Skywalker a Man and Rob base Are otherwise known a Melvin Hubbard Christopher Grant and Louis Robinson All members of the 5th Btry 17th Field arty regt in Herzog Nakrach West Germany. John i la meet you Down at the club tonight at 6.""that la or hey buddy you got change for a Dollar no but i can lend you 75 that la throwing the Brick playing basketball. Ill Beaver at the gym throwing a few bricks characters friends. The word is beginning to replace Homeboy which originally denoted a person from the same Hometown. Homeboy later came to mean a person from the same state or Region. Most recently it was shortened to Homes or Holmes and denoted any Friend or colleague. However it would be incorrect to say he s me and some characters went Down town is perfectly acceptable. Chillin name a nickname for use when one Schilling out relaxing or having fun. Examples sky Walker a Man Rob base. Words for this Story were also overheard by staff writers Dave Diehl in England Rob Staggenborg in bad Tolz West Germany and Effie Bathen i Nurnberg other eras of Ier words Here Are some by Vince Crawle Nurnberg Bureau Nurnberg West Germany army Slang has come a Long Way since world War ii when some dog faces started calling themselves gis apparently Short for government and gis drove around in jeeps. These were Quarter ton general purpose vehicles whose initials up sounded like the jeep a then popular character in Thespo Cyc comic strip. In the 1980s, the jeep was replaced by something called a hmm we highly Mobile multipurpose wheeled vehicle. Pentagon wordsmiths suggested Call ing it a gis dropped the a and began calling it a some people just Call it a jeep. Some phrases Aren t As Hearty As gis and jeeps. Ten years ago anything Large True or obvious was bigger than profiling meant rubbing up to the Boss. Both Are Seldom used today. Sgt. 1st class Kenneth Morrison who was an informal historian at Niernberg s 2nd army Cav regt a couple of years ago compiled a list of Slang used by the regiment s cavalry troopers in 1861. Back then Morrison said a Tough Guy was t just Cool he was so Cool the water in his canteen froze. Today a Soldier who thinks you re not telling the truth might ask if you were playing him to the left. But 125 years ago the same Soldier would have told you to draw your Furrow straighten veal and fresh fish were recruits new Lieuten ants were shave tails and those to be hanged at Sun Rise had an appointment with capt. in the civil War mess tent to Chow Down was to grab a Root and you ate old horse sow Bossom sinkers Weevil fodder and death the firs two were corned beef and Bacon the last three were All words for biscuits. If you got sick to your stomach you d fire and fall talking was Chin music and you did t offer Friend a drink. Instead you asked like to change your breath Shell Shock was called Shell lice were Gray backs and the troopers had at least three phrases for diarrhoea screamers Tennessee trots and the Virginia draft dodgers were Lay Brevet horses were mules Brevet being an old fashioned word for the practice of promoting someone without giving him More pay. Today it s called Morrison counted at least six terms for whiskey Bug juice Tarantula juice Mississippi tangle foot Knock knee Busthead and who hit he also listed some civil War words for ladies of the evening. Those Haven t changed. 10 gis injured by mine blast during training Stuttgart West Germany a ten army soldiers were injured monday at least two seriously when an anti personnel mine exploded at a training area a military spokesman said. . Army 7th corps spokesman it. Col. Jim Gleisberg said the Accident occurred about 2 . At the Wil Flecken training area some 55miles East of Frankfurt. Ten soldiers from the 9th Engineer battalion were injured when an m-16 anti personnel mine exploded Gleisberg told the associated press. He said initial information was that the sol Diers were training with the mine when the explosion took place. Two seriously injured soldiers were taken to military Hospital in Schweinfurt 30 Miles South of the training area Gleisberg said. He said he could not describe their injuries. Gleisberg said he also did not have More de tails on the extent of injuries of the other eight soldiers but i m assuming that their injuries were not As an investigation of the Accident is still being conducted the spokesman said. The names of the injured were not released pending further investigation. . Army units regularly use the Rural wild Flecken area to conduct military training exercises. Gorbachev from Page 1 appropriate credit for the dramatic changes in easter Europe Bush said. My own personal opinion is that he s pretty darn Strong there the president added. Gorbachev went on soviet television sunday night to Appeal to his countrymen for Calm in the face of panic buying triggered by the Kremlin s plans to Dou ble the prices of food and other goods. Bush said he was t expecting any surprises from Gorbachev and had none of his own to bring to the table. On a separate matter the president was asked if rethought Sailor Clayton Hartwig was owed an apology by the Navy which has reopened its investigation into the explosion last year aboard the battleship Iowa that killed 47 seamen. The initial Navy report said Hart wig who was killed in the explosion probably Trig gered it intentionally because he was upset Over the breakup of a Friendship with another Sailor. If the Man is proved innocent of these allegations clearly there should be a statement to that effect. But i can t judge it said Bush. On sunday Bush attended a memorial Day service outside the first congregational Church. I think everybody regardless of their Faith and background As Pires to see a world of peace certainly that s what this Summit coming up with Gorbachev is an interview with soviet television released Sun Day Bush said we be got big differences with the soviets Over German Unity and Lithuania that could impede the superpower Bush voiced Hope the Summit would produce Progress on strategic arms and conventional forces Aswell As a breakthrough of sorts on chemical Wear Ira admits killing 2 australians by mistake r ii h a Flat a it it a lots to / a a _. _ i Law to _ a Ormond Netherlands a the Irish Republican army monday said its gunmen shot to death two australian lawyers on vacation in the Netherlands after they tragically mis took them for British soldiers. The two 24-year-old victims were ambushed sunday night after return ing to their Caj following a meal in a italian restaurant. The Ira accepts responsibility forthe deaths said an Ira statement re leased in Dublin Ireland on monday. The Active service unit involved tragically mistook the men for two British army personnel. The Ira deeply re Grets this the statement did not explain How the mistake was made. However dutch television said police believe the attackers were confused by British License plates on the australians car. The statement of responsibility assigned by p. O Neill of the Irish re publican publicity Bureau in Dublin. The victims Stephen Melrose and Nick Spanos died in a Hail of machine gun fire. They were Australia citizens but were based in London. Two women with them were unhurt said police spokesman Louis were identified As Melrose s wife Lyndal and Spanos Girlfriend Vick Coss. The attack took place in the Centra Square of Ormond a Southern town frequented by British soldiers stationed in nearby West Germany. In 1988, three British servicemen died in coordinated Ira attacks in a Kirmond and in nieu Bergen 30miles to the North. Steens said the australian couples were on vacation and had arrived i Amsterdam from London on sunday. They just wanted to see a part of hol land on their Way to France he said. Witnesses said up to four people were involved in the shooting Steens said. Steens said the 40-member police team assigned to the Case was being assisted by Royal air Force police and West German police. The almost exclusively Catholic Irish Republican army is fighting to push the British out of protestant dominated Northern Ireland join i with the Republic of Ireland and set up an All Ireland socialist state. J
