Definitions of Navy Terms
by Eric Swanson
The United States Navy is a very efficient organization. Any organization that is efficient knows there mush be clear communication between fellow workers and seniors and subordinates. The Navy is able to achieve an environment of clear communication between its people; however the language they use is very unlike the language used in the civilian world. Navy language seems to be very confusing to civilians.
Rate is a word in the civilian world meaning a measurement. For instance, when the police officer clocks a speeding car the rate of speed of the car usually exceeds the allowed speed limit. However, in the Navy the word rate means so much more. While going to the United States Naval Academy, rate is a noun for something earned like a privilege. Many upperclassmen will say that since they have been at the Naval Academy for so long, they rate to go out in town whenever they feel like. Which is unlike the freshman class who do not rate to go out in town unless it is a Saturday between the hours of 1015 to 0100. A rate is also a verb in the Navy. When a senior needs to make sure their subordinates know the required knowledge over a subject they will rate the individual with an oral exam. In line with this reasoning a rate is also knowledge of a subject. In the Navy many people must know the different platforms of the ships, submarines, aircraft of the navy, this knowledge is called rates and usually comes in the form as Daily or Weekly Rates. All these definitions of the rate can make the word very confusing for civilians to understand what Navy personnel would be talking about.
Chopping is a word that the Navy uses to describe a form of running. Civilians watching the action of chopping most likely would laugh trying to figure out the reason and background of that form of running. Just hearing the word the civilians would think that someone would need to take some wood and an axe and then cut the wood up into smaller pieces, therefore chopping the wood. However, in the Navy chopping is what freshman at the Naval Academy do to go through the halls of the dormitory. The action is running, but with picking up the knees to a level height. It includes whenever a freshman needs to turn a corner, they must do a 90 degree turn shouting out some motivating statement to encourage the Navy to beat Army in football, the schools biggest rivalry. All this combined is chopping to the Navy.
A very unusual word to civilians is head. In the Navy, head is a word of relief. Civilians interpret the word to mean a part of the body, or it can mean the chief of an organization. However, to the Navy this is far from what it means. A head is a restroom. A place a sailor can go to relieve himself. Navy has had a long history calling their restroom a head. This definition comes from the Age of Sail, when restrooms were located at the head of the ship, thus becoming its name.
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Date this page was last updated: 12/06/2002