Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-08-07
CIIIPER LINGO
Is AIRMAN SLANG
Rickenbacker, American
i Ace, Translates Cuckoo
Bird Pink Tea, etc.
.ZOOM,' DIVE 'VRILLE'
All Have Part in Exciting
Game of Hunting 'Heinie'
and Dodging Archie
.ZOOM,' DIVE 'vRILLE'
Copyrisht, 1918. by the United Press
win the American Airmen in Franco

Copyrsht, 1918. by the United Press
with the American Airmen in France.
July 10 (by mail).
wed better translate some of this
giniper talk into honest -to-eosh Ameri-
can. or the United Press readers won't
pc able to stop it." observed Lieutenant
EDDIE Rickenbacker American ace and
Il FORMER auto racer. as he began some
"gimper talk which is the aviation
word for aero slang.
Ne. wen start out with the rudiments Of
she aVlator's language" said Ricken-
Dseker. 1T completely ignores the study
srammatical formations The only
/ FORMATIONS We know are aero forma-
lions, which is group flying.
First Of all, there's an airplane. with
US II is never an airplane-t's always
nno"n as can. Probably we call it
Y tnat because 1t carries such big gasoline
tAnks, and when you stop to think of
now easily the Germans could set the
can af1re II we didn't let them have 1t
'nrst, you understand why an airplane is
. can
Letting them have it is just the avia-
uon way of saying you're firing the ma
chine gun as fast as she'll go into Heinie.
You almost always have a chance when
you go to pink tea
Going to pink tea is going up in the
air after German Cuckoo birds are
always talking about pink teas, though
they never have them A cuckoo bird is
m aviator who does all his fighting
+ while none Of the gimpers is around and
then comes back and tells about it.
If you spot something which is see
ing another plane, you jockey for posi-
Ia rt 20 Get
can shoot at him without his shooting
you. Usually you try to get under his
tall which is behind and under hin,
and coming after him. He can't shoot
then and you can.
He would probably 'zoom or dive or
vrill' then. If he zooms he runs for
home; II he dives he goes straight
groundward without turning while If
he yrilles he dives, turning around like
. top so its difficult to shoot him.
Gimper Gives the Signal
IF it's a gimper you've piqued on
and pique Is only the aviation way Ct
saying attacked or charged at--he wob.
bles his flappers frantically. probably
to signal you. That means he moves his
wings up and down. You know he Is
American then, because you can see the
n Allied coquards on his wings.
IF he were a boche he would be let
ting you have it, probably, and you'c
try to get into the blind spot. That is g
point between him and the sum- where
he can't see you but you can see him
| II is a point of vantage technically
speaking.
Good luck and your gun doesn't jan
| and you've bot. a boche,' which means
bringing him down. Let him get away
to Hunland and the gimpers with yot
he sernentipe action
which is going up and down by MOVING
| the wings abruptly.
.Probably by this time the archie!
4 have discovered you and begin 10 peppe
\ you That means the German anti
aircraft guns are shooting-they' r.
called arches and l1ey pepper you be
cause the clouds they leave behind yo'
are little black ones. You can kid then
along IL you wish. which Is getting frs
out Of range and then doing stunts
usually loops. It's bad form, though
unless you're trying to draw their fir
from some other activity of anothe
gimper.
worst insult you can give the German
and they will never fail to pepper you
II you're wise you'll zoom OF for nom
about that time or you're liable to b
en- panne. which means the same
L CUCKOO, CUCKOO Is deIo SiahS ioi wv
ken down somewhere.
n Ziz1ag Fox Is Heinie
cts all right if some Heinie hasn
shot ou, of his belly at you unexpected
before you could zigzag out of rangs
Zigzagging usually foxes him as we say
Anyway, you want to be near enough t
the line when your motor cuckoos o
! you so you can glide back Then tn
| and fhEi
eskimo, as they call the aviators In the!
FUR suits, and if you haven't scare
:Heinie to death maybe thereu be
. tplnk tea at the rendezvous next da
when the can is hummins again.