Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-08-23
"GIMPER LINGO

-eIMPER LINGO"
The Slang Talk Of tho Allied Avia-
tors Translated.
Wed 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. Amer
lean ace and former auto racer as he
began some "gimper talk" which is
the aviation word for aero slang. says
correspondent Of the United Press.
Well start out with the rudiments
of the aviator's language" said Rick
enbacker. 1T completely ignores the
study OF grammatical formations. The
only formations we know are aero for
nations. which is group flying.
First Of all. there's an airplane.
With us 1t is never an airplane-it's
always known as a can Probably
we call 1t that because It carries such
big gasoline tanks. and when you
stop to think of how easily the Ger
mans could set the can afre II we
didn't let them have 1t first. you un-
derstand why an airplane Is can
Letting them have 1t is just the
aviation way Of saying you're firing
the machine gun as fast as she'll 60
into Heinie. You almost always
have a chance when you 90 to a pink
tea
Going to pink tea Is going up In
the air after q German. Cuckoo birds
are always talking about pink teas,
though they never have them. A cue
koo bird is an aviator who does all his
fighting while none OF the gimpers Is
around and then comes back and tells
about 1t.
IF you spot something whic. Is
seeing another plane. you jockey for
position. 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 shoot then and you can.
HE would probably 'zoom' or dive
or 'vrille' then. II he zooms he runs
for home; II he dives he goes straight
downward without turning. while II
he vrilles he dives, turning round like
top so its difficult to shoot him.
Gimper Gives tho Signal.
"If It's q gimper you've piqued on
and pique Is only the aviation way OF
saying attacked or charged at-he
wobbles his fappers frantically. prob
ably to signal you. That means he
moves his wings up and down. You
know he Is American then. because
you can see the Allied coquards on his
wings.
"lf he were a Boche he would he let
ting you have 1t. 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
see him. 1t Is a point Of vantage
technically speaking.
Good luck and your gun doesn't
Jam and you've bot a Boche,' which
means bringing him down. Let him
get away to Hunland and the glimp-
crs with you will razz you with the
serpentine action, which is going up
and down by moving the wings alb
ruptly.
"Probably by this time the archies
have discovered you and Hagin to
pepper you. That means tiR German
anti aircraft guns are shootmg-they
are called arches and they pepper
you because the clouds they leave be-
hind you are little black ones. You
can kid them along II you wish
which is getting first out Of range and
then doing stunts, usually loops. It's
bad form, though, unless you're try
ing to draw their fire from some 9TH
or activity of another gimper.
| Doing stunts over archies Is the
worst insult you can give the Ger
mans and they will never fail to pep
per you. If you're wise you'll zoom
off for home about that time or you're
liable to be en- panne, which means
the same as cuckoo. Cuckoo Is aero
slang for broken down somewhere.
Zigzag Fox is Heinie.
Its all right II some Heinie hasn't
shot out of his belly at you unexpect-
cdly before you could zigzag out OF
range. Zigzagging usually foxes him
as we say. Anyway. you want to be
near enough to the line when your
motor cuckoos on you so you car
glide back. Then the mechanics, car
come out and get their eskimo. as
they call the aviators In their fur
suits. and II you haven't scared
Heinie to death maybe therell be a
pink tea at the rendezvous next day
when the can Is humming again."
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