Reenactorisms

"In the Reenacting community there has been a number of terms coined by fellow enthusiasts of the hobby. In an attempt to 'collect' the terms of the hobby, I hope to gather a fair amount of Reenactorisms for both new and veteran reenactors of all ages. I confess that some of the definitions are less than flattering, and I hold no credit to their definitions for how I have received them from a number of fellow reenactors. Some are well known while others are lesser known terms, or even regional. I claim no credit except for gathering the terms."
- Andrew M. Strom (Hans Kaufmann)

125'ers - These are the reenactors who can't get enough of telling everyone that they participated in the 125th Anniversary reenactments, especially Gettysburg, when "heaven fell to earth."

ACW - American Civil War.

Audie - This is typically a WW2 reenactor that suffers from 'Audie-syndrome', where they like to pretend to be an all American Hero that doesn't take a hit, even when under HEAVY fire. They prefer to play the all American Hero and suffer from 'Murica F-yeah!'.

Autistic - Someone that is not right in the head.

Barking Spider - A Fart.

Battle Jeep Galactica - It is a term used in WW2 Reenacting, it is where allied 'forces' drive a Jeep into battle as though it is a TANK. They typically use a 'invisible force field' to protect them from taking hits.

Beta-Orbit - The act of hoovering around a woman uninvited, and making her uncomfortable. 'He' typically hopes to get some 'action'.

Boomer - An individual that was born during the time of the Baby Boom (1950s-60s) that are regarded as 'old-timers' or 'grey beard'. They are often considered to be contemptuous (not always) towards younger reenactors and will attempt to throw their 'weight' around with exceptions of respect. They tend to be unwilling to change for they are stuck in their ways, even in the face of new research.

Campaigner - A campaigner is a reenactor that wishes to reenact with the highest level of authenticity possible.

'Clanish' - Typically a term used for a group of Reenactors that is perceived as stand offish to others unless you are a fellow member of their group.

Closet Nazi - Someone that is a Neo-Nazi attempting to hide their motives.

Closet Stalinist - Someone that is a Stalinist but tries to hide it.

C.O.- Meaning commanding officer, it is a term used by most to describe their unit leader.

CODs - A individual (normally a child or teen) that has played call Of Duty, and general believes they know it all when it comes to REAL weapons.

Col. Klink - A individual that dresses up as a HIGH RANKING WW2 German Officer without rime or reason.

Crusader - This is a reenactor that will talk to you about their 'mission' in life or in reenacting. Typically they will try to talk to you about anything from Second Amendment being under threat all the way to saying 'I joined so I could (pretend) to shoot the bad guys'.

Diva - Someone that's acting entitled or holier than thou. Also enjoys causing drama.

Dudley Do Right - A individual that attempts to do right by others.

ETO - WW2 Reenacting Term for 'European Theater of Operations'.

Farb - Generally a person who is wearing or doing something that is not in keeping with the period or impression they are portraying.

Farby - Something that is inaccurate.

Farb Out - To intentionally do something that you know to be incorrect.

Farbery - A general term for all things relating to farbs and inaccuracies.

Fubar - WW2 slang for 'Fuck'.

Grey Beard - Elder (46+) Reenactors that are closely related to the 'Boomers' and are easily defined as to having grey hair, out of their prime, and often spotted with some level of 'beards'.

Hit - Often termed as 'taking a hit', it typically means getting 'shot' on the field.

Luftwaffles - A over weight (overly obese) German Reenactor.

MegaloMander - This is the reenactment NCO or officer who hasn't quite figured out that the United States Uniform Code of Military Justice (and all the authority it confers) only applies to personnel who are in the REAL service. This type is fond of barking imperious "You WILL" commands, heatedly reprimanding the troops, ordering the gullible to carry logs around camp in "good natured" punishment and issuing an occasional brisk "Well Done!" when in a benevolent mood.

Mellienial #1- Typically coined by Boomers and Grey Beards, these are younger reenactors (born from 1980-1999) that are in the hobby and vary drastically. Some are (in the perspective of peers) resentful to the Boomers, some are considered entitled, lazy, and more infatuated by modern technology. This is one of two definitions for a Mellienial for Reenactors.

Meme-Fest - An event that is poorly ran, little to no authenticity standards, and allows large swarms of Farbs into the event. This typically leads to a poor quality event.

Period - Accurate or correct to the period you are portraying. Such as using a Trench Lighter for WW1 instead of a Zippo.

Primadonna - A very temperamental reenactor with an inflated view (ego) of their own talent or importance. They often suffer from ego-mania, megalomania, and a fan of the dramatic.

PTO - WW2 Reenacting Term for 'Pacific Theater of Operations'.

Quasi-Period Scenario - This is anywhere from two to a group of reenactors who, when the public is near, try to put on a period scenario.

Reject(s) - Typically reenactors that attempted to join the armed forces but were rejected for some odd reason or another, and so they attempt to live their dream through reenacting and attempt to imitate M.A.S.H. or some other TV sudo military.

Reenactorism - Terms that are unconventional statements, phrases, pronunciations, malapropisms, and semantic or linguistic to the hobby of reenacting. After awhile, you realize that it's their intent to make you jealous.

Stalinist - Someone that truly supports communism or the ideals of Stalin openly.

Stitch Nazi - A stitch Nazi is a individual that will take a close look at a photo or your impression personally and will attempt to mentally break and antagonize you by telling you whats wrong, even if there is a button missing. It is hard to impress a Stitch Nazi, and no matter what, there will always be at least one that you can not please.

Sutler - A private vendor that typically deals with reenacting related goods.

Unit - A small group of reenactors that portrays a specific historical unit.

Who She To? - This is a deep South term that some say when they ask 'who's woman is this?'. Originated from Cajun Reenactors.

Yorker - A WW1 reenactor that intentionally tries to play hero, typically an American WW1 Reenactor. Typically it is someone that wants to play hero, won't take a 'hit', and will play to earn glory. The worst are the ones trying to capture 10 armed German soldiers by himself, with a poor mockery of a country accent.