Wheels up? And other sayings

[Wilkinson4]

Where did the saying "Wheels up" come from and what the heck does it even mean? We use it to tell someone what time the ride is going to get rolling.

Why not wheels down or wheel roll? If my wheels are up, how can I keep the rubber side down?

Any other curious slang out there?

mIKE

[1centaur]

Where's SAAB 2000 when you need him?

Cool sounding phrases tend to get shifted to other uses by people who like the sound, sometimes to good effect (Jessica Simpson passed her due by date) and some not.

[Louis]

Up = aircraft landing gear either up off the ground, or retracting up into the wheel well.

[firerescuefin]

My friends use to say "there's no fleas on her" as a compliment when a attractive woman (then....hot chick) walked by.

I still use the term "squared away" from my time in the Air Force instead of saying that everything is taken care of.

[Lifelover]

From the Urban Dictionary

the time or point when a plan or operation is executed. it comes from the military to describe when a plane lifts off to start a deployment, at that point an operation is considered hot (officially started)

[rustychisel]

etymology is good stuff.

Wheels up = aircraft
fleas = dog

the military is a trove of expressions... square pegs in round holes, shooting oneself in the foot. And lets face it: shaking hands comes from the feudal caste system and requirement that knights show they were not holding a weapon in the dominant hand.

And many many others, but my mind has become blank.

[dave thompson]

...the whole nine yards....

[oldpotatoe]

Where did the saying "Wheels up" come from and what the heck does it even mean? We use it to tell someone what time the ride is going to get rolling.

Why not wheels down or wheel roll? If my wheels are up, how can I keep the rubber side down?

Any other curious slang out there?

mIKE

"wheels in the well''...flying term for takeoff.

[oldpotatoe]

[QUOTE=firerescuefin]My friends use to say "there's no fleas on her" as a compliment when a attractive woman (then....hot chick) walked by.


" that's what we're fighting for"..meaning the right to have a nice looking woman both walk by and let us look..

[Mr. Squirrel]

"a wheel at a time, soon makes nine." i like this one.

mr. squirrel

[97CSI]

MILITARY WORDS OF WISDOM

"If the enemy is in range, so are you."
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"It is generally inadvisable to eject directly over the area you just bombed."

U.S. Air Force Manual
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"Whoever said the pen is mightier than the sword obviously never encountered automatic weapons."

- General MacArthur
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"You, you, and you .... Panic. The rest of you, come with me."

- U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt.
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"Tracers work both ways."

- U.S. Army Ordnance
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"Five second fuses only last three seconds."

- Infantry Journal
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"Any ship can be a minesweeper....Once."
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"Never tell the Platoon Sergeant you have nothing to do."

- Unknown Marine Recruit
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Clean it, if it's Dirty.
Oil it, if it Squeaks.
But: Don't Screw with it if it Works!

USAF Electronic Technician
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"If you see a bomb technician running, try to keep up with him."

USAF - Ammo Troop
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"You've never been lost until you've been lost at Mach 3."

- Paul F. Crickmore ( test pilot, SR-71 )
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A Navigator's Definition of Latitude & Longitude:
Latitude is Where We are Lost, &
Longitude is How Long We've been Lost There!

USAF Navi-guesser
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"The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire."
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"If the wings are travelling faster than the fuselage, it's probably a helicopter -- however, it's probably unsafe in any case "
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"When one engine fails on a twin-engine air plane, you always have enough power left to get you to the scene of the crash."
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"What is the similarity between air traffic controllers and pilots?

If a pilot screws up, the pilot dies;

If ATC screws up, .... The pilot dies."
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"Airspeed, altitude and brains.

Two out of three are needed to successfully complete the flight."
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"Mankind has a perfect record in aviation.

We never left one up there!"
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"The Piper Cub is the safest air plane in the world; it can just barely kill you."

- Attributed to Max Stanley (Northrop test pilot)
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"You know that your landing gear is up and locked when it takes FULL power to taxi to the terminal."
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[LiteFM]

Wow those are awesome...

[fourflys]

"never let the magic smoke out..."

one of my Coast Guard electronics tech. instructors

"when in doubt, charlie out..."

words of wisdom when taking a multiple-guess test

[rwsaunders]

SNAFU and HMFIC...my two favorite military acronyms.

[duke]

There is no such thing as friendly fire.
duke

[45K10]

"Bullet Sponge"

3rd I.D. Rock of the Marne! for all you dog-faces out there....

[Ken Robb]

"FTA" which I was told meant "fun, travel, adventure" but I never fully believed it. :rolleyes:

[45K10]

"FTA" which I was told meant "fun, travel, adventure" but I never fully believed it. :rolleyes:

yeah me neither, especially the "F" for fun part

[93legendti]

Around here we like "lock and load, Jack" (Boogie Nights) and "bring me the gas" (Bull Durham).

[Ahneida Ride]

Fubar

[oldpotatoe]

Fubar

DILLIGAS
FUBAR(mentioned)
FIGMO
BOHICA
MFWIC
PWE
FACIT
FAGAT

Last 2 USN carrier aviation specific...anybody that has flown offa a boat will know what they mean.

[gdw]

World War One gave us:
crash and burn
shot down in flames
over the top
bonk
shell shocked

[oliver1850]

.

[Dekonick]

LOL^2 (lol squared) = little old lady laying on the linoleum

DRT = dead right there (or died right there)

Crispy critter = pretty obvious (something or someone dead in a fire)

LLS = looks like *****

Smurf = cyanotic

'O' sign (someone with their mouth open like the letter O)

'Q' sign - the above, with a tongue hanging out (worse than O)

Oh the list can go on and on...

[learlove]

FWIW the term "the whole nine yards" came from either WW2 or Korean War fighter pilots/mechanics. Either the P-51/P-47 (WW2) or the F-86 (Korea) had nine yards worth of 50 cal. bullets on the belt (not sure if it is 9 per gun or for all 6 total).

On the fighters the gun ports were taped over before a mission. If the pilot taxied back in after the mission and the crew chief saw the tape pierced and the wings (P-51) or nose (F-86) blackened in the area of the guns then he would ask "did you shoot the whole nine yards", meaning did the pilot use all his ammo.

Also "you've been 86'd" comes from the Korean War F-86 pilots who enjoyed a (debatable) high kill ratio over their Mig-15 counterparts.


"Balls to the Wall" is another aviation term. It came early DC-3 pilots. The throttle (prop and mixture controls also) controls had ceramic balls on top of them like a car shifter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:N34---Douglas-DC3-Cockpit.jpg

In single engine aircraft the area just ahead of the cockpit where the engine is in most cases attached is called the firewall. Even though the DC-3 (and others that followed) were multi engine and thus engines on the wing, pilots still termed it the firewall. Therefore when they wanted speed/power they'd say or use the term "balls to the wall" meaning all levers forward (throttle/prop/mixture) for max power/speed.

[Dekonick]

"balls out" and "balls to the wall" also comes from early engines that had weighted balls that spun - when the engine was maxed out, the balls were spinning and centrifugal force caused them to swing out - to be 'balls out' or 'balls to the wall'

Saw that on an the Discovery channel...

Another favorite - BSS = Bilateral Samsonite syndrome = someone who calls 911 and greets you at the door with packed suitcases for a ride to the hospital.

[Mark McM]

"Balls to the Wall" is another aviation term. It came early DC-3 pilots. The throttle (prop and mixture controls also) controls had ceramic balls on top of them like a car shifter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:N34---Douglas-DC3-Cockpit.jpg

In single engine aircraft the area just ahead of the cockpit where the engine is in most cases attached is called the firewall. Even though the DC-3 (and others that followed) were multi engine and thus engines on the wing, pilots still termed it the firewall. Therefore when they wanted speed/power they'd say or use the term "balls to the wall" meaning all levers forward (throttle/prop/mixture) for max power/speed.

While agree with the basic source of the phrase, I bet it is from before the DC-3. The arrangement of ball-topped levers controlling throttles and mixtures (and props) started before the DC-3's time. for example, the ball-topped levers on a Ford Tri-Motor throttles and mixtures:

http://www.generalaviationnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/TriMotor2.jpg

Many small planes today use ball-like controls knobs that push straight in and out of the instrument panel, like this Cessna 182:

http://www.coffmancompanies.com/images/1998cessna182S004.jpg

I'm pretty sure this is where the term "firewalling it", meaning to go at the maximum, comes from - for maximum acceleration and power you push all the knobs all the way into the firewall.

[learlove]

at my airline the callout for windshear, stall and EGPWS recovery is "Firewall Thrust".

[rounder]

I always liked SWAG when trying to come up with something to explain your reasoning for any occasion...
sophisticated wild assed guess

[Louis]

"balls out" and "balls to the wall" also comes from early engines that had weighted balls that spun - when the engine was maxed out, the balls were spinning and centrifugal force caused them to swing out - to be 'balls out' or 'balls to the wall'

Saw that on an the Discovery channel...

I heard the same thing - it goes all the way back to days of steam engines.

About 9 seconds in you'll catch a glimpse of a centrifugal governor here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nr9UtEhyvfk

[duke]

It actually was/is called a "fly ball governor".

http://library.thinkquest.org/C006011/english/sites/steam_james_watt.php3?v=2

duke

[palincss]

Around here we like "lock and load, Jack" (Boogie Nights) and "bring me the gas" (Bull Durham).

Trust me, "lock and load" has been around a hell of a lot longer than Boogie Nights. Ken Robb and I heard it plenty at APG 30 years before that movie came out.

Shove the magazine in, rack the slide to chamber a round. Ah, but in that case, shouldn't it then be "load and lock"?


The most commonly accepted origin traces this order to the operation of the M1 Garand rifle. Before loading the ammunition clip into the rifle, the operating rod handle is pulled to the rear until the bolt is securely locked open. According to the M1 Garand Manual, loading the clip without first locking the bolt could result in an accidental discharge of a round. In the 1943 training film (Rifle Marksmanship with M1 Rifle) the instructor orders first "Lock" then "Load".

[97CSI]

Ah, yes........ we still get some rookies in our M1 matches who end up with the dreaded "M1 Thumb".
Gen. Paton, ".........the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised."

[Ken Robb]

Steve Palincsar and I met here on-line (or was it iBOB?) and later in person while he was visiting San Diego. We were amused to find that I was commissioned at Aberdeen Proving Grounds 22 AUG 67 and he was a week or two ahead of me.

[rustychisel]

Ah, yes........ we still get some rookies in our M1 matches who end up with the dreaded "M1 Thumb".
Gen. Paton, ".........the M1 Rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised."


can you explain the 'M1 thumb' further?


Here's a couple for ya.

'shooting oneself in the foot' (claimed to be the WWI soldier's fear of going 'over the top') is inaccurate in detail and in conclusion.
The term derives from the foot-soldiery of the late middle ages.
Archers, ie longbowmen, were equipped with a wooden longbow (usually yew) which required stringing (at the nock) before use. The pullstrength of a English longbow was reckoned in the order of 120lb. Therefore, a man needed to be able to hold the bow rigid in one arm and pull the string and arrow back with 120lb of pull before loosing (shooting).
Crossbowmen, whose weapons required a much greater pull strength (reckoned at 150 - 160lb) could not reload their weapons by hand; the principle being significantly different, in any case. Usually, a crossbow or arbalest was placed nose down, one foot being placed through an iron stirrup at its nose to hold it secure, and the bowstring drawn back with both hand until it engaged the trigger mechanism. A bolt (quarrel) was then placed in the guides forward of the bowstring.
If the weapon was prematurely discharged, often enough the result was that the bolt fired through the foot holding the weapon down… shooting oneself in the foot.
The problem, incidentally, was significant enough such that later and more powerful crossbows were equipped with a mechanical winding mechanism for resetting the bowstring.
English longbowmen would have used this term of derision of their opponents at Crecy and Poitiers, for example.

'knock kneed'
English longbowmen were themselves prone to an injury which came about due to the fact that longbows were always carried unstrung and the string nocked immediately before action (to keep the yew wood unstressed when it was unneccessary). In stringing a six foot longbow, the common method was for the bow to be braced with one end on the ground, the other held firmly in one hand. The bow was then bent (stressed) around the knee and thigh whilst the string was nocked in place with the other hand… if it slipped the string would often scrape down the leg and the bow would straighten violently, banging painfully against the archers leg. The condition was known as 'nock-kneed', yet by the mid 1600s had become 'knock-kneed' (by which time archery had been replaced by musketry in the rank and file).

[Ken Robb]

oops

[Ken Robb]

I can't imagine why or how a crossbowman would load a bolt with the bow pointed at the ground because gravity wouldn't allow the bolt to stay in place. In the crossbow demonstrations I have seen the cocked was weapon raised to horizontal before the bolt was laid in front of the string.

I always guessed that shooting oneself in the foot referred to a "quickdraw" pistoleer who discharged his weapon before it cleared his holster.

[palincss]

can you explain the 'M1 thumb' further?



That's when you've got your thumb down inside the internal magazine and you depress the mechanism that unlocks the bolt but you haven't held the bolt back with the heel of your hand, and the bolt slams forward and tries to chamber your thumb. It hurts like hell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zANFR_AwAA8

[dogdriver]

Check Six

Dead Bug

Fight's On

Knock it Off

Bug Out

Wingman

Tally Ho

Brick One

Blower

Separate Vectors

Heavy Buffet (usu followed by)

Crash and Burn (which makes you a)

Mort (then you're)

T!ts up

YGBSM

MFWIC

AFU

SNAFU

FUBAR

(Funny how the F shows up a lot in mil acronyms)

The last two were already covered, but may I offer a plug for the SNAFU Bar in Manhattan (46th and Lex, I think)-- a genius combo of two lauded acronyms for the name, $4.00 pints (In the city!), couches, decent food, AND, if you're lucky, in the winter, the coat check girl dances on the table. What more could a guy traveling without an expense account need?

[oldpotatoe]

Check Six

Dead Bug

Tally Ho

Brick One

Blower

Separate Vectors

Heavy Buffet (usu followed by)

Crash and Burn (which makes you a)

Mort (then you're)

T!ts up

YGBSM

MFWIC

AFU

SNAFU

FUBAR

(Funny how the F shows up a lot in mil acronyms)

The last two were already covered, but may I offer a plug for the SNAFU Bar in Manhattan (46th and Lex, I think)-- a genius combo of two lauded acronyms for the name, $4.00 pints (In the city!), couches, decent food, AND, if you're lucky, in the winter, the coat check girl dances on the table. What more could a guy traveling without an expense account need?

Pensacola used to have the 'Auger Inn'..had a airplane fuselage sticking thru the roof..

'Dog Driver'...hmmm..I flew the A-4..in VF-126, we called it the 'dog'..

'DeadBug, Blower and others makes me think you was a military aviator.

[gdw]

Cluster*uck is quite useful.

[97CSI]

Cluster*uck is quite useful.Not too sure that this is aviation/military based. Is definitely universal.