-
Z :
-
short for DMZ, LZ, DZ, PZ, RZ; also expressed as "the Z".
-
ZAP / ZAPPED :
-
mortal injury, kill/killed, croak/croaked, slay/slain, die/dead,
grease/greased, dusted, goner; also called WASTED, BUY THE FARM,
CHECK OUT, BITE THE DUST; see BELIEVER, SOL, BITTER END, DEATH
CARD, TWEP, KIA, DOW; compare WIA, GSW, MILLION DOLLAR WOUND.
[nb: "shuffled off this mortal coil", from the "to be or not to
be" soliloquy (Hamlet by William Shakespeare), refers not
to cyclical or inevitable death, but to the confused intrigues of
life's affairs ... "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The
slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against
a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; No
more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the
thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to, 'tis a
consummation Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep; To sleep;
perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of
death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal
coil, Must give us pause...."] [cf: And we are here as on a
darkling plain / Swept with confused alarms of struggle and
flight, / Where ignorant armies clash by night" by Matthew
Arnold, Dover Beach]
-
ZERO :
-
a numeric integer, being a figurative placeholder or a symbolic
notation for the absence of value (or a mathematical value
intermediate between positive and negative powers), as
distinguished from the letter "O"; see RTP, ALPHABET SOUP,
PROWORD, CODEWORD, CODENAME, ACRONYM; compare ALFA, WILLIE PETE.
[v: Alphabet Codes]
Also, to calibrate the sights by the adjustment of elevation and
windage on a firearm or gun so as to strike the target at a given
range; see BORESIGHT, DEFLECTION, BULL'S-EYE, SIGHT PICTURE, KD
RANGE, POINT-BLANK, TRAIN, RIFLE, PISTOL, ARTY. [v: Firearms Glossary] Also, a CIPHER, naught or
neutral; being intermediate between positive and negative; see
ZIP, NULLITY, DIDDLY, SQUAT. Also, the position immediately
behind or directly to the rear in aviator's clock face
orientation; sometimes called "six o'clock" to contrast with
directly forward at "twelve o'clock". Also, in maneuver or patrol
elements, the end or rear guard position behind the main or
central body; see DRAG, TAIL-END CHARLIE. Also, affectionate
NICKNAME for an Air Force officer or officers ("zeroes" /
"zeros") [not the letter "O"].
-
ZERO BEAT :
-
tuning a radio for optimal reception by dialing
back-and-forth across the station signal, and centering on its
strongest broadcast; such tuning usually involved a steady LONG
COUNT to precisely fix the reception.
-
ZERO DEFECTS :
-
a meaningless catch-phrase, like PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE, invented
by military managers to bureaucratize the Armed Forces;
abbreviated "ZD".
-
ZERO-HOUR :
-
the term used to designate the time specified for the
commencement, execution, implementation, or initiation of a
particular military attack or other operation; and may be
represented as "0-hour"; see TIME. Also, the time set for the
beginning of any event or action; being any decisive or critical
time.
-
ZERO POINT :
-
the center of a burst of a nuclear weapon at the instant of
detonation. The zero point may be positioned in the air, on or
beneath the surface of land or water, depending upon the type of
burst; which distinguishes it from GROUND ZERO.
-
ZERO-SUM :
-
denoting a system in which the sum of the gains equals the sum of
the losses; as a "zero-sum game", wherein the wins and losses of
the various players is always zero.
-
03 / ZERO-THREE :
-
the Marine ZERO-THREE infantry series military specialty (MOS)
designation that is widely referred to as "Oh-Three"
(letter-numeral); that is equivalent to Army 11B ("Eleven Bravo",
"Eleven Bang", or "Eleven Bush") designation. This MOS
designation should not be mistaken for the look-alike OFFICER
PAY-GRADE RATING of Captain. See SNUFFY, compare GRUNT, AIT.
-
ZERO TOLERANCE :
-
(forthcoming);
a catch-phrase meaning "no second chance", NO EXCUSE or no WIGGLE
ROOM
-
ZERO WARD :
-
designated the holding area where sick or injured persons who
were not expected to survive were given palliative care; later
identified as the "terminal ward". See TRIAGE, DOW.
-
ZERO-ZERO :
-
atmospheric conditions that are characterized by zero visibility
in both horizontal and vertical directions; see WHITEOUT,
BROWN-OUT, FLAT LIGHT, CHOPPER, BIRD.
-
ZI :
-
Zone of the Interior, or the Continental United States
(CONUS); as distinguished from overseas (OCONUS) assignments.
-
ZIGZAG / ZIGZAGGER :
-
a course or line progressing by sharp turns, so as to avoid enemy
fire; compare DASH, SCUTTLE; see BUTTERFLY, LEAP FROG, HOPSCOTCH,
CLOVERLEAF, CHECKERBOARD, BUTTONHOOK. Also, the methodical
advance of a craft or vessel by side to side deviations from a
straight or direct course, as when tacking to either side of a
course HEADING; see CONVOY, YAW. Also, a battlement, or defensive
parapet, as a castellated fortification of alternating merlons
and crenels.
-
ZINGER :
-
any close-call or near-miss, as by a passing bullet or
fragment; derived from its distinctive sound. Also, a quick
retort or pointed remark, often witty. Also, a surprising event
or shocking utterance; as sudden, sharp, or pointed.
-
ZIP / ZIPPER :
-
rapid, swift, speedy. Also, ZERO, nothing, zilch, CIPHER,
NULLITY, DIDDLY, SQUAT, rush, meaningless; compare XIN LOI, AMF,
WASTED, ZAP. Also, a derogatory term used to refer to any Asian,
sometimes called "zipperhead"; see DINK, GOOK, SLOPE, RICE BALL,
NIP, JAPE, CHINK, WOG, LITTLE PEOPLE; compare LITTLE BROWN
BROTHER, INDIG, BASKET HEAD, BUDDHAHEAD.
[nb: ZIP, ZIPPER, or ZIPperhead may be related to the zippered
flying helmet worn by Imperial Japanese during WWII, however one
dubious derivation alleges an apocryphal acronym of ZIP, as
attributed to the Vietnam-era, being "Zero Intelligence
Potential", implying that Asians would not talk if questioned, so
there's no point interrogating a corpse; this communication /
culture gap exhibits more ignorance than bigotry, since few
Americans bother to learn anything about foreign people or their
civilizations] [nb: mechanical zipper invented 1905; Velcro
closure invented 1948]
-
ZIPPO :
-
slang for flamethrower, such as the TRACK-driven M-132 mechanized
flamethrower.
[nb: "Greek Fire" was used in the Byzantine "flame squirter"
pump, which technomigrated around AD 905 into China, where
flamethrowers were modified with "double-action" piston-pumps
(from 6th Century BC bellows) for five-minutes of continuous
output as the "fire lance". China distilled petroleum into
gasoline and kerosene for use as "fierce fire oil" around AD 904;
and the flamethrower became a standard copper and glass weapon by
1044. The Chinese invented the unitary match in AD 577; and the
SLOW MATCH as a FUSE in AD 919. See NAPALM, MAIN-GUN. Also refers
to the popular cigarette LIGHTER (1932) of that brandname used
for ZIPPO MISSIONs.]
-
ZIPPO BOAT :
-
LCM with flame thrower; see MRF.
-
ZIPPO MISSION :
-
slang for a SEARCH AND DESTROY mission; also called SNOOP 'n'
POOP; see ZIPPO, LIGHTER.
-
ZODIAC :
-
an inflatable squad-sized assault boat, with stern plate
for optional mounting of outboard motor; designed by aquanaut
Jacques Y. Cousteau. Equipment is stowed inside the craft while
the troops sit on the inflated sides to direct it. See IBS, RIB,
CRRC, BOAT.
-
ZOMBIE :
-
informal term for a listless person whose behavior or responses
are seemingly rote, as an automaton; being anyone who is mentally
or emotionally disengaged or distracted. While immersed in the
throes of battle, some men experience an indifference to fear,
and are careless of injury or death; which condition is formally
known as "combat narcosis". The stupor and torpor of narcotism
can be misinterpreted as heroism or patriotism, but it is more
akin to fatalism, and does not generate ESPRIT DE CORPS among
GOOD STICK/GOOD PEOPLE. Term was introduced into American society
around 1810, but usage became prominent during the CIVIL WAR;
also spelled "zombi", and originally meaning 'god'. See PTSD,
BUBBLE, THOUSAND-YARD STARE, TELESCOPING, BLACKOUT, FLASHBACK,
FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT.
Also, slang during WWII for a Canadian conscript assigned to home
defense duty; as a soldier so bored to death that only enforced
regulations can animate his corpse.
-
ZONE AND SWEEP :
-
an artillery tactic or technique that's used to cover a target
with an "X" pattern of fire.
-
ZONE OF FIRE :
-
an area into which a designated ground unit or fire support
element delivers fire support, observed or not; see IMPACT AREA,
POINT OF IMPACT, KILL ZONE; compare DEAD SPACE.
-
ZOO :
-
NICKNAME for Nga Tu So (the So Intersection) and Pha Phim
(Film Studio) (geo: 21 00 00N 105 49 30E; UTM: 48QWJ85732217),
site of major NVN prison camp for captive allied population; also
known as [nb: some names only refer to sections within this
prison] Zoo Annex, Cu Loc, BOQ, Camp Two, Camp America. Dates US
POWs present: 20 Sep 65 to 16 Dec 70, 08 Feb 71 to 19 Mar 71, 14
Jun 71 to 10 Jul 71, and 24 Sep 71 to 29 Mar 73. This was the
location of the PAVN motion picture institute's film studio
before the Second INDOCHINA War. It is located in a residential
area in the southwest suburbs of Hanoi, on the east side of
Nguyen Trai Street (the road to Ha Dong City), a short distance
north of Cau Moi (the "New Bridge"). In 1965, the facility was
transferred temporarily to the Enemy Proselyting Department for
use as a POW camp. In about April 1972, Office 22 of the newly
formed PAVN Group 875 took responsibility for administration of
this and other US POW camps in North Vietnam. After the war this
facility was returned to the PAVN motion picture institute. See
POW.
-
ZOOMIE :
-
derogatory reference to any airman or BIRDMAN, especially an Air
Force Academy graduate. See GI, DOGFACE, JARHEAD, HORSE MARINE,
SQUID, SWABBY, PILOT, GOOD STICK.
-
ZULU :
-
casualty report; see BUTCHER'S BILL, BODY COUNT, KILL CREDIT.
Also, the military's universal time designator coordinated with
the prime meridian of GMT or UTI/UTC; see TIME.
|
|
