4thUSASAFS LEXICON
Agomie = A local cuss word meaning an Eritrean Red Neck (an oafish lowlife-scum of the earth).
Aithazelie/Ahtehazalay = An Eritrean word meaning "sorry about that shit".
Bag = The scrotum. As in "Get on my Bag".
Bar Whore = A local female that worked in a bar or night club to solicit drinks and possibly (probably) prostitution.
Bennie Bagger = A straight day worker who had weekends and holidays off.
Bera Bera (Beri-Beri) = A wine of dubious origin that was served much before it's time.
Berbre = an extremely hot pepper mixture used in local food preparation.
Bird (The) = The midnight movie at the Roosevelt Theater.
Blowing a Fart = A sound made by pursing the lips, making a circle with your thumb and forefinger and placing them over your lips and blowing. Similar to a Raspberry.
Bosch (The) = A market place in Asmara where one could purchase just about anything; legal or illegal. Off limits to GI's at night!
Brown Bagger = A military dependant.
Burn Bag = A brown paper trash bag containing unusable materials (usually 6 Ply) produced at Tract "C" and other Operations sites.
Cafelatte = A light skinned local of mixed parentage.
Call Sign = A nickname issued to us by Fat Herbie ( Naval Security Group), an equipment repairman that worked at Tract C.
Chit Book = A book containing coupons that were exchanged for food and drink at the Post clubs.
CIAAO Hotel - The rest center at Massawa for many Years. An Itallian acronym for "Organization of the Italian in Africa Community Association."
Ditty Bopper = A Morse Intercept operator (MOS 058 or 05H) AKA a "Ditty Snatcher".
Downtown = The City of Asmara.
DROS = Date Returned from OverSeas.
Ethie = An Ethiopian - A local resident, officially referred to by the military as indigenous personnel.
(Most of the people that we referred to as Ethie's were in actuality Eritrean)
Ethie = Local currency. One dollar US equaled 2.5 Ethiopian dollars (at the legal rate of exchange).
Face = The act of inserting a penis into someone's mouth. A Blow Job.
Faced = Drunk. A shortened form of the phrase "Shit faced".
FIGMO = Fuck It (I) Got My Orders. A segmented drawing of a naked woman used as a countdown sheet for DROS or ETS. You can guess where the #1 (last day in country) was.
Finito Rag = A small moist towel kept in a pot under the bed used to cleanse one's private parts after having sexual intercourse.
Fiore Alpino = A high proof Italian Liquore with a narcotic base. WOW!
Foreign National = A person who was not an American Citizen.
(Note from Bob Dymond: I always find it interesting that we would apply this term to people living in the country where we were guests.)
Four Floors of Whores = A five story building (residential hotel) in Massawa with a rooftop bar.
FTA = Fuck The Army.
Fuck the Mission-Clean the Position = A phrase used indicate that you had to clean the OPS Site (usually the Mid Shift) because a Senior Officer or High Ranking Civilian was touring the site the next day.
Gerry(Gherry) Cart = A horse drawn 3 seat open-air carriage.
Gerry(Gherry) Cart Horse = The horse that pulled the Gerry Cart and would pass intestinal gas and defecate only when passengers were on board.
Get on my Bag Sign = A downward waving of the arms towards the pelvic area (possibly originated by "Fat" Mike Powers). The traditional "A' Trick farewell to Ethiopia sign at the airport.
Gon Zip= Money
(Webmaster's note: My cunning linguistic contributors cannot come up with the origins of this phrase. I thought it may be Italian but I'm told that it's not.)
Green Doors (The) = An inexpensive brothel where as many as three couples would share one bed during the act of sexual intercourse. Off Limits.
Gross Guys = A group of individuals dedicated to committing perverted acts. Adherents of "Spook" McKay.
Gross Out = A get together of the Gross Guys or the result of their actions.
HIM = His Imperial Majesty. Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Ras Tafari, The Emperor of Ethiopia.
Hymn = A song of praise. Usually sung to the Ethiopian Guards upon re-entering Tract E. "We like it here, we like it here, fuckin' A, we like it here; HIM, HIM, FUCK HIM".
House Boys = Local males that worked in the barracks.
House Boy Laundry = A laundry service provided by your Houseboy. It was cheaper and usually more efficient than the Post Quartermaster Laundry but had a pungent aroma (probably from naphtha).
I'll Get Over It = A Phrase coined by Lenny Hemenway that appeared on many Kagnew Jackets.
Injera = A spongy unleavened sourdough bread resembling a large crepe.
Jet Fumes = The aroma emitted by Jet engines. A Norman Newguy usually reeked from Jet Fumes.
Jump = The shortened form of "Jump her bones". To have sexual intercourse with - Fuck.
Kusumec = A local curse word meaning, "Fuck your mother".
Lifer = A person serving more than one term in the military. A Re-enlistee.
Lifer Puke = A re-enlistee who over zealously adhered to military regulations. (Webmasters note: Not all Lifers were Pukes but all Pukes [with the notable exception of Ted O'Flaherty] were lifers.)
Littorina - Often called Little 'Rina or La Trina. A FIAT built railcar. When they were built, they carried the face of Mussolini on the front.
Mama Kathy-AKA Mama K = A local shopkeeper who moonlighted as a fellatio service provider.
Melotti = A local beer that gave you horrendous intestinal gas (usually of the silent but deadly variety).
Mill = A typewriter with only upper case letters and numbers, used by ditty boppers.
Moon = To bare one's buttocks.
Mountain (The) = The extinct volcano upon which the City of Asmara was located.
Mountain Road (The) = The narrow road, loaded with switchbacks, on the escarpment between Asmara and Massawa.
Norman = A new guy at Kagnew Station. Also referred to as nugs, newks and weeds.
Oasis Club = An enlisted man's club for grade E-1 through E-5.
On My Root = Swaddle my penis in your mouth.
On My Root Sign = Same-same "Get on my Bag Sign".
(See Bob Dymond's note at the bottom of this page.)
Poor Man's Night = A monthly event held at the service clubs with free food, 5 cent or free beer and free chips for gambling. Usually held the night before payday.
Proprio = The Italian word for appropriately, but said to mean a negative probably or "No Fucking Way".
Puke = Regurgitated matter usually caused by over imbibing.
Puke = Someone who overtly adhered to military regulations.
Puked on = Informed by a NCO or Officer that you were in violation of military regulations.
RBT = Rosie Big Tits. A Bar whore (one of "Spook" McKay's favorites) with Marvelous Maracas.
Red Eye = A moon with spread cheeks.
Root = The Penis. As in "Get on my Root!"
Scrufty = Participating in lustfully lewd, lascivious and immoral behavior.
Sharmuta = A somewhat sleezy lady of the evening. A Streetwalker.
Shewate Makorka = In the local vernacular it meant, "seven times up your ass" (screw you).
Short = Having little time left in your current assignment or the military.
Six Ply = Six copy (six color) paper that was used in Mills and T/T machines. Lovingly referred to as 6-ply ass wipe.
Snow = To fool or deceive someone (usually a newguy) by giving them an overabundance of useless information.
Spooks Alley = A narrow dead-end street in the seedier side of Asmara that housed several women of ill repute. Inexpensive and also Off Limits.
Street Boys = A group of local nefarious itinerant street hustlers and procurement specialists.
Stag Bar = A section of the Oasis Club where women were not allowed.
Stonehouse = An Operations Site where only God and NSA knows what went on inside.
Sweater Girls = Local young ladies that were bussed from Asmara to the Oasis Club on nights when bands played in the ballroom.
Terewai = A local curse word meaning Fuck You! Tatawai was another way of saying this word.
Top 5 Club AKA "The Zoo" = A Serviceman's Club for grades E-5 through E-9.
Topolino- the generic name of all small pre WW II FIATs. Technically, it was a specific model which was the Italian answer to the VW bug.
Tract C = An Operations Site with a large antennae field located west of the main post.
Tract E = The main post of Kagnew Station.
Trick = A turn of duty or a shift of duty.
Triple Crown (The) = A three event grossness contest devised by "Spook" McKay.
TTU = Transportation Terminal Unit. A military group that shipped supplies from Massawa (on the Red Sea) to Asmara (on the mountain) and maintained the R&R Hotel facility in Massawa.
Tucule = A wattle and daub hut found outside the city of Asmara.
Twitch = To make extremely nervous.
Wadi Sharmutta = An Eritrean phrase literally meaning son-of-a-bitch.
Zibib = A local high proof liquor flavored with anise seed.
Zigni = A spicy (seasoned with Berbre) stew (usually chicken, lamb or goat) served on and with Injera.
(A note from Bob Dymond: On My Root - A stylized and co-ordinated hand and arm signal which indicates to the viewer that the signaler is somewhat less than happy with the current situation. (If one has never seen this series of motions, it should be pointed out that at no time are the wrists and hands anything other than an extension of the forearm.) This motion is commenced with both arms extended upwards in a "V", then the upper arms are brought rapidly to a position horizontal with the ground, followed by the forearms and hands swung down pointing to the pelvic area.I cannot testify if Mike Powers was the originator of this "signal" - It was in effect when I got to Amsara. It was sometimes accompanied by the words "On my ROOT !")
(Webmaster's note: Bill Prout 1964-1966 has informed me that the "Get on my Bag" Sign was in existence when he arrived at Kagnew. The phrase "On my Bag" was shorted to OMB so as not to offend the brown baggers who might tell their Puke fathers.)