The Washington herald., 1917-06-04
Army and Navy News
Best Service Column In City.

The war in the air is evolving a new
language of its own. Already many
among airmen. and the list is being added
TO daily.
No airman ever thinks of talking about
hight, for example. Flip Is the word
certain duration. not OF a certain dis
tance. He fiips about for an hour, say,
not for so many miles, or. rather, knots.
The late Flight Lieut. Harold Kosher
Service" is generally acknowledged to
provide the most intimate and illuminat-
ing N insight int the human side of war
nying yet published. gives some choice
examples of sky slang.
There is "spikebozzle." for instance.
writing of an aeroplane chase after a
Zeppelin. he remarked: Two machines
learned professors of English might have
given years of study and thought, and
yet have failed to create a word so Pc
cuIiarly expressive and meaningful as
spiksboszle in connection with zepp
strahng.
Obscure Origins.
Huffed," meaning got killed. is another
Characteristic airmen's word which Lieut.
Kosher has given to the public at large:
He hasn't come back for his cap" which
has the same melancholy significance
This phrase originated at a certain big
school for training naval air pilots. Be
fore a man took the air 1t was GUS
tomary for him to hang his peaked serv-
Ice cap on one Of long line OF pegs.
When pilot crashed. or had some other
unfortunate mishap he did not. Of course.
come back for his cap, and hence ths
origin of the saying
another now common expression which
came from the same school is ''hickboo."
Htckboo means a good many things, but
chtefy that enemy aircraft are about. II
Zeppelins or Taubes are on their way a
hickboo u "on." Anything. in fact. which
Is calculated to put the wind uD the timid
Is a hickboo. The word is really dis
tortion OF an Indian word, meaning an
eagle.
wanted-A Word.
Stunt is one of the most frequently
used words in the air service. Doing
looping the loop. indulging in daring
banking and nose diving. landing in a
new and original way, and 50 on-and a
nytng machine is never anything but a
ous. Small atrships are "blimps." how
ever.
To borrow or steal anything belonging
to- another is to 'hotstuff" 1t; and in the
naval naval, air service all carpenters are
4 flying oficer who gets promotion is
said to have shipped another stripe"
and leave is referred to as a spot Of
leave"
1t is curious that nying men, being so
fertile in the invention of new words.
should not as yet have hit upon any
generally popular term for themselves.
At present they are airmen, not bird
men, or sky pilots, or aviators, or any
OF the other fancy names which certain
INGENIOUS persons attempt to foist upon
them.
Camera rifles" will be installed on
army training seroplanes.
The rifles shoot opposing aeroplanes,
but instead Of bringing them crashing to
earth. merely register a photogra phic i'm
preston of the shot The young aviator
pulls the trigger when he spots an "op-
ponent" The pull of the trigger takes a
picture. If the opposing aviator appears
In the resultant photograph. the attack
ing plane has scored a lift.
Capt. Clarence C. Culver. cavalry. re-
Gently was ordered to take three trips to
Hampton, Va. to assist in testing out
such equipment along with aeronaude