A - factor - The Antarctic factor, unexpected extra
difficulties presented by Antarctica. Aus
Airdrop - Cargo and personal
items dropped from an airplane, a huge morale booster for winterovers. Am
Antarctic 10 - A person of the opposite
sex who might be considered a "5" elsewhere. Am
B
Bagdrag - McMurdo base
- US, dragging your bag - luggage - to weigh in for for a
flight out. Due to weather conditions a bagdrag is not always followed by a
flight and in any case will rarely take place at a convenient time for the dragger
of the bag. Am
Banana Belt - The South Orkney Islands
and South Georgia where there have been British bases for many years. As these
bases are in the maritime Antarctic and not very far South by comparison to
some others, they are referred to by inhabitants of other stations as being
in the "Banana Belt" - still very chilly and windy though. Br
Beaker - A scientist, if said scientist
is unwanted or unpopular, the term jafa, may be used - Just Another
F..... Academic; Am, Aus, Br, NZ
Big eye - Insomnia caused by changes in the length
of daylight.
Bog chisel - An implement with a wooden handle like
a broom handle about 6 foot long and with a metal chisel-shaped blade about
2 inches wide at the end of it - blunt by usual chisel standards. Used as a
snow and ice probe to test sea-ice - more than three thwacks to get through
and it's safe to walk on, less than three and it's time to walk back where you
came from - very carefully. Also used as a crevasse probe. Br
Bolo - Burnt-out-left-over an expeditioner who has
been in the Antarctic for too long. Aus.
Boomerang -
A flight to Antarctica that turns back before it
gets there, usually due to poor weather conditions at the landing site. Am.
Bunny boots -
Boots for extremely cold weather, large, white and
plain, but effective, the name comes from a layer of rabbit fur that's supposed
to be part of the insulation (actually wool felt). Am
C
ChCh -
(pronounced Cheech), slang for Christchurch, New
Zealand, a stopping off and kitting up point for US Antarctic programme personnel
en route for Antarctica. Am
Chinese Landing - A phonetic pun, based on the
unusual aircraft angle when landing in stiff Antarctic cross winds: one wing
low. Am
City Mice - Support personnel whose duties force
them to remain at McMurdo Station. Am
Country Mice - Scientists and their assistants
who get to travel to camps around Antarctica. Am
Crawlies - Blowing snow at ground level that snakes
along being very atmospheric. Snow blows around in Antarctica far more than
it falls from the sky, the low temperatures means that it stays powdery and
loose and ever present winds move it back and forwards a lot.
Crud, the -
Common name for colds / flu contracted by new arrivals
to the US McMurdo base. Most common with a large entry of new people bringing
a large influx of fresh germs. Any germ-related illnesses in Antarctica are
rare in the winter as the base personnel have either had the illnesses by then
or are immune to them. The longest continuous period of my life free of colds
and flu was when I was in Antarctica. Am.
D
Dear John - A letter from a girlfriend left behind
informing the recipient he is now (at his choice) not only thousands of miles
and many months away, but also surplus to emotional requirements. Br
Degomble - Being outside in Antarctica
in wind-driven snow makes a lot of the snow stick to your clothes and in nooks
and crannies around back-pack etc. De-gombling is the process of removing this
loosely attached snow before going indoors into a hut, base-building or tent
where it would melt and make life more unpleasant.
Originated (I think - clarification would be
appreciated) with dogs in the days when they were
used to pull sledges, in certain conditions, snow could form into balls (gombles) that
hung from the dogs fur, making them heavy and uncomfortable. Br.
Dingle - Good weather, on a dingle day
it's time to get your boots on and go out to play - or excellent visibility.
Br.
Dome - An aluminium Geodesic
dome, 50 meters (165 ft) in diameter at the base and approximately 17 meters
high (55 ft) at the top at the American Scott-Amundsen base at the South Pole.
Looks a bit like an ice-age EPCOT. The base was established in the 1950's and
was seen as a great status symbol location for a base. That being in the cold
war, the Russians then followed it up by establishing their status symbol base
at the pole of inaccessibility - the point on Antarctica the furthest from any
ocean - the Vostok base. Am
Dome Slugs - Those who live and
work in the central Dome at the south polar station. Am
Donga - Sleeping area. Aus
Doo - Short for skidoo, small robust and very effective
small-scale transport over snow and ice, like a motor-bike on skis. Can be used
to transport driver and one other sitting down or much bigger loads towed along
behind on a sledge. Br.
E
ECW -
Extreme Cold Weather. A label
applied to protective clothing issued to American base members, includes parkas,
bunny boots, bear claws (large mittens), balaclavas etc. Am
F
FIDS - "Falklands Islands Dependencies Survey" was
the original name for the "British Antarctic Survey" (BAS). Members of FIDS
referred to themselves as Fids and the name stuck. It is usually taken
as meaning someone who has travelled to Antarctica and worked on a FIDS or BAS
ship or base. Some purists maintain that it should only apply to those who have
wintered on such a base. Br.
Fidlet - A FID in his or her first year, sometimes
considered as someone in their first summer south preceding the first winter
after which they will be a Fid proper. Br.
Fidgob - Any job that is "gobbed" together using materials
available at the time by a Fid. Not usually a very elegant solution due the
improper materials and / or tools and / or inexpertise of the Fid concerned.
Antarctica does, has always and probably always will, run on the equivalent
of Fidgob solutions to broken apparatus and machinery. Br.
Field, The - Anywhere not on a base. Scientists
in particular like to talk about being "out in the field" - it makes them sound
more rugged and heroic.
First Call - The first
visit of the season to a base by a ship. An eagerly awaited event by winterers
as it brings mail, fresh food, new people, cargo, shopping they've ordered and
almost a new way of life as the summer now starts. Br
Fingy -
The pronunciation of F.N.G.. A derogatory
term of uncertain origin for the F... New Guy (or Girl). Originally used in
Vietnam to describe a solider on their first tour of duty. Am, Aus, Br, NZ
Five hundred club - Those who have been
in Antarctica for more than 500 successive days. Aus
freshies -
Fresh fruit and vegetables brought in by air or
ship. Food is a perennial topic of conversation at all Antarctic bases, most
of the year the food has been preserved in some way. The arrival of fresh produce
is an event of great importance especially at the end of the winter when exotic
delights like boiled potatoes and carrots taste like you'd never believe that
they could. Am.
G
Gash - A Naval term that has two meanings,
firstly it means rubbish / garbage anything to be disposed of and secondly it
describes a task or event. Many bases have a gash-rota whereby each member in
turn is gashman for the day. This means that they help in the kitchen with menial
tasks, wash-up, deal with the gash - rubbish/garbage and generally carry out
various base house-keeping duties. Similar to Aus. "slushy" Br.
Gomble - An accretion of snow on hair. This is usually facial hair
or the hair on a dog in the days when they were
used to pull sledges. In certain conditions, snow could form into balls (gombles) that
hung from the hair or dogs fur, making them heavy and uncomfortable. (see
degomble) Br.
greenout - The emotion felt on seeing and smelling
green things (plants) again after an extended period on the ice.
grips - Photographs, "getting the grips in" is an Antarctic
occupation that can be taken to extremes. Particular incidents and occurrences
can only be legitimately claimed to have happened once the grips had been got
in. Br.
This has now progressed to videoing everything, I have been recently
pleasantly surprised to come across
this,
part of a great and noble tradition.
H
helo -
Helicopter.
Herbie -
The name given to particularly powerful and dangerous
storms that affect the US McMurdo base coming from the South, through "Herbie
Alley", winds can be in excess of 100 knots. Am
Hollywood Shower - A naval term, derisively
used to describe showers of longer than the allotted two minutes (fresh water
in a liquid form is relatively rare in Antarctica) Am.
House Mice - Personnel on periodic janitorial
duty. Am
I
Ice, The -
A common nickname for Antarctica. Being in Antarctica
is referred to as being "On The Ice". Am.
J
Jolly - A pleasure trip, can be used derisively
"jolly merchant" for someone who always manages to get to go on the interesting
trips (despite the title I never came across one who would sell places on jollies).
Summer only personnel may sometimes be referred to by winterers as "on a summer
jolly" Br.
K
Klatch - Personal belongings Br
L
Last Call - The last visit of the season
to a base by a ship. The departure of last call takes with it people who have
been in Antarctica for up to 30 months and heralds the start of winter with
no physical contact with the outside world for up to 11 months depending on
where the base is. Br
M
Manhaul - A sledging trip where the sledge is pulled
by men rather than vehicles. Br, Aus.
Mactown -
A nickname for the US base at McMurdo. Others are
McMudhole and Dirt Town because of the gritty volcanic soil there that is exposed
in the summer.
Mank, manky - Overcast weather, particularly
common in the maritime Antarctic Br.
Mainbody -
One of the three seasons of the American Antarctic
year. At McMurdo for instance, it lasts from approx. 1st of October until the
last flight at Station Close, around late February or early March. Seasonality
in Antarctica is timed by events as much as the calendar and seasons are not
reckoned to be over or begun until events such as the first or last ship or
flight of a particular season has happened. Am.
Medevac -
A contraction of "medical evacuation" - a special
flight out for someone before their tour is over as a result of illness or injury.
Am, Aus, Br, NZ
Monk-on - A term for being in a bad, usually
introspective mood, "he's got a monk-on". Br
Mukluks - Inuit style cold weather boots.
Soft outer, pale cream in colour with a very thick sole and a wool felt liner,
very effective as long as you don't try to do any climbing or walking over uneven
surfaces in them. Am, Aus, Br
Munch - Dried meat granules a common part
of the winter diet in the absence of fresh meat, also used by field parties
as water can be added by melting snow or ice. Br.
Mutt - American sheathbill, a small Antarctic
bird the size of a larger but rounder pigeon with disgusting table manners and
thought by some to have been overlooked by evolution. Evidence of the first
point is that in the days when waste matter was flushed into the sea, some thought
that Mutts could hear the sound of the flush and take position at the kaka pipe
(it wasn't really called the kaka pipe). Evidence of the second is that in winter
some would come into land on a slatted jetty and only put down one leg to save
heat loss, the result is that the one leg would go between the gaps in the slats.
Br
N
Nutty - The general term for any type
of chocolate or sweets / candy, whether it contains nuts or not. A personal
note here, when I first arrived in Antarctica I was most unimpressed with the
unhealthiness of the food that people took out with them when leaving base for
a day trip - one to three bars of chocolate and nothing else. Being of sterner
stuff I promptly made myself some healthy sandwiches (tuna if I remember rightly)
- I was observed with interest but without comment by other (as it turned out
- wiser) people around. Come lunch break, while others tucked into their hard
but edible "nutty" I sat and sucked on a frozen sandwich. Br
Nutty (alt) - The dog food which we carried and
used in the field came in compressed blocks of meat and fat weighing about
1lb per block (I think) and in boxes weighing 70 lbs each which would last
one team (9 dogs) for 5 days. It's trade name was Nutrican which was
abbreviated to Nutty by the dog drivers. (Thanks to Drummy small for this -
more.)
Br
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