"smack": a recent acroetymythonym

[Jonathan Lighter]

Plebes at West Point have long been referred to as "smacks," a nonspecific but effective term of disparagement.  The term has also become endemic at the Air Force Academy and elsewhere; so pervasive, in fact, that one articulate military glossary [ http://www.combatmagazine.ws/S4/MILTERMS/MT-S.HTM ] offers the following diverting treatment :



 < SMACK :
   in compliance with Congressional mandates prohibiting abusive language, this epithet was adopted to represent all derogatory, obscene, or profane terms deemed inappropriate for reviling military servicemembers, being a Humpty Dumpty redefinition; see ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT, CALL ON THE CARPET, TALK TRASH, GODDAM. [Swearing is either juvenile or crass, but MIL-PERS admire talent and respect skill, so creative vulgarity and uncommon scurrility is often appreciated. "The talk of him that sweareth much maketh the hair stand upright." Ecclesiasticus 27:14 Apocrypha] [nb: archaic 'zounds' derived as contraction of "God's wounds" >

But that, naturally, isn't the point of this message.  Though "dumb smack" goes back several decades in civilian speech, the military's crack acroetymythonymers have decided that, like any etymologically intriguing monosyllable,  "smack" has to be an acronym for something - but what ?  Various sites offer

Soldier Minus Ability Coordination [and] Knowledge

Soldier Minus Aptitude Character and Knowledge

Soldier Minus Ability Character and Knowledge

Soldier Minus Any Coordination or Knowledge

Soldier Minus All Competence and Knowledge

Or mix 'n' match !  Be your own acroetymythonymer !

Anyway, someone claiming personal knowledge of the Air Force Academy noted recently that "this term has been used less and less in the past several years and is now only a rare occurance" [ http://war-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16769&page=5 ].  (Being called any kind of "soldier" at the Air Force Academy is presumably demeaning by itself.)

The Naval services may be more skeptical, as there are no Googits whatever for "smack 'sailor minus'."

JL



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