I came across the word "STRAC" in the film 'The Green Berets'. Can anyone tell me what STRAC is?
459357
Strategic\nTough\nReady\nAround the\nClock
71911
It is a phrase I first read in Bill Mauldin's books. He was the most famous cartoonist in WWII and his books will give you a wonderful "grunt-level" picture of the war in Europe. The term is a combination of "garrison" and "paratrooper".\n\nThe cartoon, as I recall, had three soldiers. In the back was an unshaven soldier sitting at a table in an outdoor cafe, getting drunk. \n\nIn the foregraound was a neat, shaven soldier in a tie and a dirty, unkempt combat infantryman, obviously just back from the front lines. The neat one was explaining to the combat one, "We call them garret troopers; they're stationed too far forward to wear a tie and too far back to get shot."
81889
In this site you'll find interesting information about the Langmuir Blodgett film. \n\nhttp://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci517746,00.html
186636
There is dispute amongst etymologists about the origin of this phrase. As always, disputes only occur where there is no definitive evidence so, as you might guess, there is conflicting circumstantial evidence. I'll put the sources here and let you decide for yourself.\n\nThe two points of view are primarily these:\n\nI.\nThe phrase originated as 'son of a military man' (i.e. a gun). The most commonly repeated version in this strand is that the British Navy used to allow women to live on naval ships. Any child born on board who had uncertain paternity would be listed in the ship's log as 'son of a gun'. While it is attestable fact that, although the Royal navy had rules against it, they did turn a blind eye to women (wives or prostitutes) joining sailors on voyages, so this version has plausibility on its side. The sources for this point of view are:\n\n- The Royal Navy Museum, who confirm that women sometimes travelled on their vessels during the age of sail.\n\n- The Sailor's Workbook; William Henry Smyth, 1867. [son of a gun is] "An epithet conveying contempt in a slight degree, and originally applied to boys born afloat, when women were permitted to accompany their husbands at sea; one admiral declared he literally was thus cradled, under the breast of a gun-carriage”. \n\n- Fighting Words, Christine Ammer, 1999- "A baby conceived during wartime. In World War I the term denoted the illegitimate offspring of servicemen."\n\n- Jon Bee, a Dictionary of the Turf, 1823, ... means 'a soldier's bastard'. \n\nThe first known printed source is The British Apollo No. 43, 1708 - "You'r a Son of a Gun". That source doesn't mention the military and Smyth's version comes 150 years later, but he was himself a Royal Navy admiral and in a better position than most to know what went on aboard naval ships. Whether or not the military/naval version is the origin it is clear that, in 1823 at least, the term was used with that meaning. \n\nCounter to that you might think it unusual that military men didn't appear to have daughters, or you may just put that down to the prevailing sexism of the time. There are several phrases including the word son, some of them quite recent: \n\nEvery mother's son \nGo on my son \nLike father, like son \nMy son the doctor \nNumber one son \nOn me 'ead, son \n\nwhereas it's difficult to think of anything other than 'don't put your daughter on the stage' for daughters. \n\n\nII. \nThe term is euphemisitic and derived as a conveniently rhyming alternative to 'son of a bitch/whore'. That term has been part of the language for centuries, certainly long enough for people to some up with a euphemism for it. Shakespeare used something like it in King Lear (1605) - "One that art nothing but the composition of a Knave, Begger, Coward, Pandar, and the Sonne and Heire of a Mungrill Bitch." \n\nAlso, other sources in print in the 19th century point to the meaning at least of the phrase as indicating contempt: \n\nBarnam Ingol. Legends, Cynotaph, 1840, "We heard the rough voice of a son of a gun Of a watchman, ‘One o'clock!’ bawling." \n\nTHACKERAY Pendennis, 1849, "What a happy feller I once thought you, and what a miserable son of a gun you really are!" \n\nHarper's Mag. Oct. 1883, 759/2 "Thou lubberly, duck-legged son of a gun." \n\nThe military version has some circumstantial evidence to support it, the rhyming euphemism origin appears to be no more than conjecture. Case unproven.
103967
It's just a comic acronym for the government of the UNited States of AMerica ! \n...Since the government is always asking its soldiers to go somewhere, fetch something, or do some of its own (dirty !) work, just as any biological uncle probably would, the 'boys' had coined this nick !
616126
I am pretty sure it's "Moose lem" or "Muzz lem". "Moz lem" is for the Germanic tribe that invaded Europe. My teacher's said that it can be Mooselem or Muzzlem.
61560
well, a green beret is a HAT, for one thing.   I suppose you mean Army Special Forces?  Why does every kid always want to know about Navy Seals, Rangers, Special Forces, Force Recon?  From all the video games, right? Hey, get a life-really, special operations units are all different and they all operate will different objectives in mind- no one is "better" than the others- who's tougher? who's badder?  Who cares?  They could all kick your video-game-playing arses.  Hell, a fat female army Specialist working as an admin clerk could whip up on you.
802627
it's french indeed, but the sentence is not finished.. and Purtzer is something I can't find in any dictionary.. it says:\n"WHERE is the purtzer for....."\nHope this helps!
1171887
No, it's Middle English, from Old French, from past participle of covrir, to cover. \n\ncov·ert    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (kvrt, kvrt, k-vûrt)\nadj. \nNot openly practiced, avowed, engaged in, accumulated, or shown: covert military operations; covert funding for the rebels. See Synonyms at secret. \nCovered or covered over; sheltered. \nLaw. Being married and therefore protected by one's husband. \n\nn. \nA covering or cover. \n\nA covered place or shelter; hiding place. \nThick underbrush or woodland affording cover for game. \nZoology. One of the small feathers covering the bases of the longer feathers of a bird's wings or tail. \nA flock of coots. See Synonyms at flock1. \n\n\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n[Middle English, from Old French, from past participle of covrir, to cover. See cover.]\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------\ncovert·ly adv. \ncovert·ness n. \n\n[Download Now or Buy the Book] \nSource: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition\nCopyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.\nPublished by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. \n\n\ncovert\n\nadj 1: secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed; "covert actions by the CIA"; "covert funding for the rebels" [ant: overt] 2: of a wife; under the protection of her husband n 1: a flock of coots 2: a covering that serves to conceal or shelter something; "they crouched behind the screen"; "under cover of darkness" [syn: screen, cover, concealment]
19267
Apparently it was first used in the 1938 film, "Bringing Up Baby":\nBringing Up Baby (1938) was the first film to use the word gay in reference to homosexuality. In a scene where Cary Grant's clothes have been sent to the cleaners, he must wear a lady's feathery robe. When another character inquires about his clothes, he responds "Because I just went gay...all of a sudden!"
717505
The origin of the term is said to have come from the French word "conasse". During the Second World War, many Cajun men served in the armed forces. When in France, many of the French heard the Cajuns speaking in a French that was both very old and in a French that had some very odd words. The Frenchmen called the Cajuns "conasse" which translates to a very low-grade prostitute. I would think this comes from the fact that, although they spoke a form of French, the Cajuns weren't real Frenchmen.\n\nOf course, the "American" servicemen heard "conasse" as "CoonAss". In a world where "RedNeck" is heard often, "CoonAss" fits right in. Just like RedNeck, it wasn't originally used as a term of endearment. But many Cajuns carry it as a description of themselves as good as any other. In Louisiana, you can find vehicles with bumper stickers reading "Registered CoonAss" or "I'm a CoonAss, Me!" Wide spread use came about during the oil boom in Louisiana during the 60's and 70's.
934716
ray p is right. Y stori hir means the long story, so you could just use stori hir.
730332
In German, it is called "stechscritt".  "Scritt" means "step", but "goose" is "gänse" and "Stech" doesn't translate to anything in English, so the Nazi didn't call it the goose-step but that is the English translation.
262224
Czar also is a synonym for leader, emporer, etc. They're also called brug barons, & drug lords.
533832
Guess that would be a cinephile - phile being the tag used to describe a lover of something - Anglophile, Francophile etc meaning lover of all things English or French. So Cinephile would be a lover of all things cinematic (or movie-related).
770710
The acronym story is a complete fabrication from the middle of the 20th century.  It is completely false.\n\nThe word is the English cognate of the Proto-Germanic word *fukan 'have intercourse' which has its ultimate origin in Proto-Indo-European *pug- 'to strike' (compare English pugilist from Latin).  The English word f*ck derived according to regular sound laws from the Proto-Germanic form and there are cognate forms in most of the other Germanic languages.  It has moved in and out of vulgarity during its long reign in the Germanic languages.  In some time periods it was simply the normal term for breeding animals.  In Modern English it is moving out of being considered quite so vulgar since it is used so commonly.
583894
This has it's origin with the military, and refers to information that is kept secret until individuals with clearance ask for information.\nNow it has filtered down into common language and refers to information kept from public discussion. Also, some just think they're cool if they say it!