shack

n. a direct hit on a target by a bomb or missile. Subjects: English, Military, Jargon

Etymological Note: Perhaps from the actual shacks—’rude cabins or huts’—used in live-fire target practice.

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Citations: [1998 Russell Watson Newsweek (Feb. 16) “Battle stations: plans take shape for an air war on Iraq, but success may be elusive.” p. 38: Nearly all of them “hit the shack,” meaning they came within 20 feet of the targets.] 1999 Ross Roberts United States Naval Institute: Proceedings (Apr. 1) “Desert Fox: The third night” vol. 125, no. 4, p. 36: I could see the bombs fly to the target on the FLIR…one second…Direct hit. “Shack!!!” I shouted over the radio. (That’s one term we picked up from our Air Force friends.) My wingman achieved the same results. 2001 Steve Vogel @ Aboard The USS Carl Vinson Washington Post (Oct. 29) “Over Afghanistan, Gantlets in the Sky” p. A1: The operative on the ground radioed confirmation: “That’s a shack,” slang for a direct hit. 2002 Ron Corbett Ottawa Citizen (Can.) (Nov. 24) “A Soldier’s Story: Part Two” p. C3: Twenty-two seconds after dropping his bomb, Schmidt gave the universal striker-pilot signal for a direct hit: “Shack.” 2003 Dave Goldiner N.Y. Daily News (Jan. 16) “Doubts Before Bombing” p. 7: Schmidt: “Shack.” [jargon for direct hit].

Posted 21 Oct 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend