Tactical air

[Jonathan Lighter]

Yes. This has been going on in the news media for many years.

"Fighter jets" and "fighter aircraft" are the usual journalistic terms
regardless of precision. "Warplane" is also used, but less often.  (Years
ago I reported Fox's characterization of WWII fighters and bombers
overflying a ceremony as "fighter jets.")

Cf. "battleship."  Armored cars (with wheels) are frequently called "tanks."


Armored personnel carriers, however, are almost always correctly identified,
despite the annoying syllable count. Ditto for "Bradley Fighting Vehicles."

JL
On Tue, Mar 22, 2011 at 1:02 PM, William Palmer <palmerwil at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       William Palmer <palmerwil at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Tactical air
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Reporting on air operations over Libya, media journalists seem to refer to
> any and all aircraft with weapons as "fighters".  In fact, the primary
> mission of fighter aircraft is to establish and maintain air
> superiority...engage and neutralize enemy aircraft.  "Attack" or "strike"
> aircraft exist to destroy ground targets.  Some aircraft do both.
>
> Or that's the way it used to be
> --
> Bill Palmer
>
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> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



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