squipper

squipper

English

Etymology

Blend of survival +‎ equipment +‎ fitter

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈskwɪpə/
• Rhymes: -ɪpə(ɹ)

Noun

squipper (plural squippers)

1. (Britain, military, slang) A survival equipment fitter.
   • 1991, Charles Allen, Thunder & Lightning: The RAF in the Gulf : Personal Experiences of War, Stationery Office/Tso

     A third significant omission is due to the fact that large numbers of Chinook, Puma and Hercules aircrews [...] together with all the ' loadies', 'sooties', 'squippers' and ground crews that support them, continue, at the time of writing, to be heavily involved in Operation Safe Haven along the northern borders of Iraq.

   • 1995, John Peters, John Nichol, Neil Hanson, Team Tornado: Life on a Front-Line Squadron →ISBN

     After stripping off all my other kit, I held my rubber- gloved hands behind me, the last bits still in the dirty zone, and the squipper peeled the gloves off.

   • 2014 January 20, "Red Arrows pilot inquest: Colleague tells how he watched tragedy unfold", Coventry Telegraph

     Giving evidence to the inquest in Lincoln Cpl Morris, a Survival Equipment Fitter or “squipper” with the RAF, said he was not far from Flt Lt Cunningham’s jet at the time of the tragedy as the team prepared to fly to RAF Valley in Wales.

Anagrams

• quippers