In today’s post I want to share some of the top Army JARGON, acronyms and slang words of all time. Jargon is defined as “special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.”
If you’ve spent any time in the Army at all, you’ll problem know most of these terms. And for someone who has never served in the Army before, many of these slogans and terms will be difficult to understand. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but it is a good starting point. The terms are in no particular order.
Disclaimer: Adult humor with some cussing and swear words. If you are offended easily, please hit the back button. You have been warned.
- WTF – What the fuck
- I’ve Got Your Six – I’ve got your back
- Ate Up – Someone who isn’t squared away
- Blue Falcon – Buddy fucker; someone who screws over their buddy for personal gain
- High Speed – Someone who is squared away, proficient at their job and reliable
- PX Ranger – Someone who buys awards and badges they aren’t authorized at the PX and wears them
- Soup Sandwich – Something messed up
- Balls to the Walls – Going all out
- POG – Person other than grunt
- Chairborne Ranger – Someone who sits at a desk and thinks they are gung-ho
- Charlie Foxtrot – Clusterfuck; really messed up situation
- Command Private Major – Slang word for Specialist
- Echo Tango Suitcase – Slang words for ETS, Ended Time in Service
- Fart Sack – Sleeping bag
- Fourth Point of Contact – The buttocks
- Front Lean and Rest Position – The pushup position
- GI – a slang word for government issue
- Jacked Up – Screwed Up
- Jodie – A man who steals a soldier’s wife/girlfriend while he is deployed or away
- Leg – Soldiers who haven’t been to airborne school
- O Dark Thirty – Early in the morning
- Snivel Gear – Anything used to keep you warm
- Spook – Someone who collects intelligence
- Suck it Up – Deal with it
- Two Beer Queer – Someone who gets drunk easily
- Weekend Warrior – Someone serving in the National Guard or Army Reserve
- Black Hat – Airborne Instructor
- First Daddy – First Sergeant
- Platoon Daddy – Platoon Sergeant
- Spec 4 Mafia – A group of low ranking Soldiers who aren’t motivated to help out
- Battle Rattle – Your combat gear
- K-POT – Your Kevlar or helmet
- 5 Jump Chump – Someone with the minimum amount of airborne jumps
- Brokedick – Someone always on sick call or with a profile
- Power Point Ranger – Someone who is a master at Power Point Slides
- Ring Knocker – West Point Graduate
- Short Timer – Someone set to retire or ETS in the next 90 days
- Big Chicken Dinner – Bad Conduct Discharge
- Class 1 Download – Pooping
- Good Ole Boys – A group of people who look out for each other
There you have it folks. These are my top 40 Army Jargon, acronyms and slang words. What is your favorite one on this list? Which ones did I leave out? Just leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.

Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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Great post! My favorite on the list? “Class 1 download” for sure, with “Command Private Major” as a close second. Don’t forget “BC Glasses,” for those stylish military-issue glasses that serve as the ultimate birth control device. And counting time by saying “three days a wake-up.” Is “hurry up and wait” still considered jargon? I don’t know. It’s “above my pay grade.”