Australian military slang

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Members of the Australian military (known officially as the Australian Defence Force or ADF) use many unique slang terms. The ADF is made up of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). Each have their own distinct traditions but share a defence force culture. Some military slang words, such as digger, have become widely used by Australians in general. However, most slang used in the ADF is restricted to its personnel.

AusCam - The standard camouflage pattern on Australian Military equipment. Derived from AUStralian CAMouflage.
Bachy - Pouch tobacco used to roll your own cigarettes.
Blues - Air Force (Blue) Service Dress uniform. Also Blue Suiter, a member of the RAAF (Not necessarily wearing blues)
Blunt - A derogative term to describe anyone deemed not to be at the 'pointy end' (ie front-line/operational). Always a favourite of fighter pilots, who believe that pretty much anyone that isn't strapped into a chair is a blunt!
Boggy - Short for bograt, the slang term for a Pilot Officer (the most junior commissioned Air Force Officer rank).
Boss - A complimentary term used by soldiers to refer to their immediate superior officer, usually their Platoon Commander, but can be other Officers in their unit, in the chain of command like the Company Commander or Company 2IC (Second in Charge). E.g. Do you know what we're doing today boss? '. Also used in the British Armed Forces.
Brass Up - Concentrated weapons fire into an area.
Canteen Medals - Beer or food stains on the breast of a shirt or jacket.
Coffin Nail - A cigarette.
C-Dubs - Short for CWD, or Combined Working Dress, a dark blue uniform worn by the Air Force as working dress, in the process of being replaced by DPCU (see Cams)
Cams - Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform (DPCU), working dress for Army and Air Force and worn on exercises / deployment. Also used in the British Armed Forces.
Cluster - Short for cluster fuck. A individual that has a tendency to get things wrong. Can also be used to describe the current situation in a negative light. E.g. Exercise Mantail Sword 2005 was an absolute cluster
Choco - A "chocolate soldier". First used in World War 2 to describe new recruits joining the war in Papua New Guinea, due to the belief they would melt like chocolate in battle. Also used to refer to members of the armed services reserves, who "melt in the sun".
Chook – A signals operator. The term comes from the days of morse code communications, where an operator transmitting a message resembled a chook pecking the ground. 108th Signals Squadron has the famous cartoon chook Foghorn Leghorn as their unit mascot.
Digger – A soldier in the Australian Army, for example Look after your diggers, Lieutenant. Term comes from the Anzacs.
Dobie - A wash, or shower, from the Urdu 'dobie-wallah,' a launderer.
Drabs - Air Force Tropical Dress which replaces Service Dress (see Blues) in tropical areas
Drop shorts – An artillery solider, for example Say again, I’m a drop short; or in English "Can you repeat yourself, I'm in the artillery corps (and hence deaf)".
Eating irons - Cutlery
Emu bob- A line of soldiers, under the control of a junior NCO, side by side, almost shoulder to shoulder, walking slowly forwards cleaning up an area, therefore bobbing up and down to pick up litter, which resembles an emu searching for food. Also known as an "Emu Parade".
Ferret – A beret.
Fitter and turner - An army cook. It means "to fit good food into a pot and turn into shit".
Flight Lewie - Nickname for Flight Lieutenant, Air Force Junior Officer rank.
Flogg Off - Spoken abbreviation for Flying Officer (FLGOFF), Air Force Junior Officer rank.
F.R.E.D - A small device which is a combination of a can opener, a bottle opener and a spoon. Officially named a "Food Ration Extraction Device", but more popularly known as a "Fucking Ridiculous Eating Device".
Fruit salad - Medal ribbons
Giggle-hat - Bush head dress
Giggle-suit - Bush clothes
Goffer - Soft drink
Gong/s - medal(s)
Gun Bunny - An artillery soldier, for example Bloody Gun Bunnies can't do anything right
Helo – Navy term for helicopter.
Jack – To be selfish, for example You’re a jack dig! or Stop being jack and give us a hand. The term comes from digger jack...he didn’t put in.
Jellybean-suit - Offensive term for army camouflage used by RAN or RAAF.
Lance Jack – Term used in place of the rank Lance Corporal. E.g. We have 3 Corporals and 2 Lance Jacks in this unit. The term comes from a VC winner. Also used in the British Armed Forces.
Numpty – An individual who just doesn't get it, for example This numpty recruit forgot his boots. Also used in the British Armed Forces. From the Scots, as in, "He's a numpty heid" normally used in reference to the English.
Off Cut - Nickname for an Officer Cadet, derived from the abbreviation OFFCDT.
Old Mate - Any person about whom you speak, for example "Old mate over there isn't working that much" or "Old mate comes up to me and tries to bum a few ciggies off me." Mainly restricted to use within the army.
Oppo - A friend or comrade, usually also in the military. Mainly restricted to use within the RAN.
Pig - An officer (within the RAAF, Snorker has become a popular alternative, to avoid confusion with the aircraft).
Pig - An F-111 aircraft.
Pig Pen - The officer's mess.
Plastic fantastic - Steyr F88 rifle, standard assault rifle for Australian infantry. Not used as often now, but was once popular when the rifle was first introduced due to the (for the time) revolutionary use of plastics in construction.
Pollies – The polyester dress, for example Iron your pollies, dig!. The term comes from the material they are made from.
Pogue – A soldier not involved in combat. Usually in protected areas well behind the front lines.
Pusser - A sailor, from the Royal Navy, derivative of 'purser.'
Redders - Tomato sauce
Reg - A regular (full-time) soldier.
RHIP - Stands for "Rank Has Its Privileges".
Rock Show - A poorly managed group failing to meet often the simplest of objectives, despite much noise and flailing of arms. "You should have seen them trying to pack the truck, what a rock show!"
Rollies - Roll your own cigarettes.
Rollie Weed - See Bachy
SAS - Saturdays and Sundays. Used to describe army reservists.
Sig – A private in the signals corps, for example Sig Smith go to the Q-Store to collect our equipment for EX.
Scablifter - A medic.
SCRAN - Term used to refer to food - "Shit Cooked by the Royal Australian Navy".
Scran-bag - Lost clothing bag
Short arm parade - Inspection of soldiers' genitals to discover any VD infection.
Snake - Term used to refer to Sergeants.
Snake Pit- Term used to refer to the Sergeants Mess. Also shortened to "the pit". E.g. "See you down the pit."
Soggy Sao- equivalent to the british "biscuit race". "SAO" is a brand of cracker biscuit made by Arnotts.
Stabbed - To be assigned a task by a superior, it usually not being a task an individual would volunteer to complete. E.g. I've been stabbed by the boss to sell Unit T-shirts at our function
Taylor mades - Massed produced cigarettes, i.e., bought as is, as opposed to rolling your own.
Turkey slap - To lighly slap someone with one's (flaccid) penis. Usually performed on the forehead of someone who has overslept or is drunk and passed out.