Evening journal., 1918-08-07
'Gimpers' Give Many Pink
Teas for Heines Up in The Air

Copyright, 1918, by the United Press)
WITH THE AMERICAN AIRAiEN IN
FRANCE, July i0.-(By Mail .-"We'd
better translate some of this gimper
talk into honest-to-gosh American or
the United Press readers won't be able
to stop it," observed Lieutenant Eddie
Rickenbacker, American ace and for
mer automobile racer as he gave some
"gimper talk" which is the aviation
word for aero slang.
wen start out with the rudiments
OF the aviatOrs language" said Rick
enbacker. 1T completely ignores the
study OF grammatical formations. The
only formations we know are aero
formations, which is group flying.
First OF all there's an airplane. with
us it is never an airplane-it's always
known as can Probably we call 10
that because 1t carries such big gaso-
line tanks and when you stop to think
OF how easily the Germans could set
the can ailre, il we didn't let them
have II first, you understand why an
airplane is a can
" Letting them have IT. is Just the
aviation way Of saying you're firing
the machine gun as fast as she'll go
into Hiene. You almost always have a
chance when you go to pink tea.
Going to a pink tea is going up in
the air after a German. Cuckoo birds
are always talking about pink teas.
though they never have them. A cuckoo
bird is an aviator who does all his
fighting while one Of the glmpers are
around and then comes back and tells
about It.
IF you spot something which looks
like an aeroplane you jockey for posi-
tion. That is trying to get where you
can shoot at him without his shooting
you. Usually you try to get under his
tail which is behind and under him
and coming after him. He can't shot
then and you can.
"He would probably 'zoOm' or dive,
or 'vrllle' then. II he zOOms he runs
for home. II he dives he goes straight
groundward without turning, while if
he vrilles he dives, turning around like
top so it's difficult to shoot him.
"If it's a glmper you've piqued on
and pique is only the aviation way
Of saying attacked or charged at-he
wobbles his flappers frantlcally, prob
ably to signal you. That means he
moves his wings up and down. You
know he is an American then because
you can see the Allied cOquards on
his wings.
"If he were a Boche he would be let
ting you have it probably and you'd
try to get into the blind spot. That
is a point between him and the sun
where he can't see you but you can
him. 1t Is a point Of vantage tech
nically speaking.
Good luck and your gun doesn't
jam and you've got a Boche.' which
means bringing him down. Let him
get away to Hunland and the gimpers
with you will razz you with the ser
pentine action, which is going up and
down by moving the wings abruptly.
probably by this time the Archies
have discovered you and begin to pep
per you. That means the German anti
aircraft guns are hOOting-theyre
called Arches and they pepper you be-
cause the clouds they leave behind are
little black ones. You kid them along
if you wish, which is getting first out
of range and then doing stunts, usu-
ally loops. It's bad form, though, un-
less you are trying to draw their fire
from some other activity Of another
glmper.
Doing stunts over Arches is the
worst insult you can give the Germans
and they viii never fail TO pepper you.
If you're wise you'll zOom for home
about that time or you're liable to en-
panne which means the same as
cuckoo. Cuckoo IS aeroplane slang for
broken down somewhere. It Is all
right If some Hienie hasn't shot out
Of his belly at you unexpectedly be-
fore you could zigzag out OF his reach.
You want 20 be near enough to the line
when your motor cuckOOs on you so
you can glide. Then the mechanics
can come out and get their Eskimo as
they call the aviators in their pur-
suits, and II you have scared Hlene
to death maybe there1l be a pink tea
at the rendezvous next day when the
can IS humming again"