_Dittybopper_

[Wilson Gray]

This word, which is in HDAS with all of the other meanings that I know
of, has another, long-obsolete meaning. In the old Army Security
Agency, eliminated from the Army's "TO&E" in 1965, a "diddy- /
dittybopper" was someone who dealt hands-on with some form of
telegraphy: telegrapher, telegraphic-intercept operator, transcriber
of intercepted telegraphic commo. My WAG is that this is based on the
_dit-dah_ of telegraphy, with no connection to "diddy- / dittybopper"
in any of its other meanings.

Although I've never seen this use in the print medium, it's easily
found on the Web on any ASA-alumni site. The old Agency had a kind of
college-frat feel to it. Hence, there are several alumni sites. Since
I was involved in voice intelligence and not signal intelligence, I
first came across the word in this use on alumni sites. Hence, not
even a WAG as to how old it is.

-Wilson
–––
All say, "How hard it is that we have to die!"––a strange complaint to
come from the mouths of people who have had to live.
–Mark Twain

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