Glossary
Glossary of Terms
The information contained herein is quoted from Social Usage and Protocol Handbook: A Guide for Personnel of the U.S. Navy (OPNAVINST 1710.7 dated 17 JUL 1979)
Accreditation | An official presentation of credentials by foreign diplomats (to include military attaches) to the host government, thereby establishing a date of precedence within that countrys diplomatic or attache corps. | |||||||||||||||
Attache | A technical expert on the diplomatic staff of his country at a foreign capital. A naval attache is his/her Navys representative to a foreign nation. | |||||||||||||||
Black Tie | Formal attire, generally not worn before 6:00 P.M. Military-Dinner Dress Blue Jacket Civilian-A dinner jacket or tuxedo for men and formal dress for women. | |||||||||||||||
Calling Card | A small card bearing the name and title/rank of an individual and used socially. Calling card may be sent with flowers or gifts, as bearers of short messages. | |||||||||||||||
Canapes | An appetizer consisting of a piece of bread or toast, or a cracker topped with a savory spread. | |||||||||||||||
Casual Attire | Attire which is never more formal than a sports coat or leisure suit for men and slacks or casual skirts for women. | |||||||||||||||
Charge | To Charge ones glass is an expression used at Dining-ins meaning to fill ones glass to capacity. | |||||||||||||||
Charge dAffaires | The officer in charge of diplomatic business in the absence of the ambassador or minister. | |||||||||||||||
Christening | A ceremony in which a naval vessel is named by a sponsor who breaks a bottle of wine against the ships bow as the ship slides into the water. | |||||||||||||||
Cocktail Party | An informal gathering featuring a stand-up buffet in which there is no receiving line. | |||||||||||||||
Colors | National ensign; distinguishing flag flown to indicate a ships nationality. Naval ceremonies are performed when the national flag is hoisted at eight oclock in the morning and hauled down at sunset. | |||||||||||||||
Commission | To activate a ship or station; written order giving an officer rank and authority. | |||||||||||||||
Commissioning Ceremonies | Ceremonies during which a new ship is placed in service. Captain of the yard or delegated representative of commandant reads orders for delivery of ship, attention is sounded on bugle, National Anthem is played, ensign, commission pennant, and jack are hoisted simultaneously. The officer ordered to command the ship reads his orders from Navy Department and orders his executive officer to set the watch. Full dress uniform is usually worn by officers. It is customary to invite friends of officers and others interested to attend the ceremony, along with the sponsor who christened the ship. | |||||||||||||||
Commissioning Pennant | Commission pennant is the distinctive mark of a vessel of war adopted by all nations. It is blue at the hoist, with a union of seven white stars; it is red and white at the fly, in two horizontal stripes. The number of stars has no special significance but was arbitrarily selected as providing the most suitable display. The pennant is flown at the main by vessels not carrying flag officers. In lieu of the commission pennant, a vessel with an admiral or other officer in command of a division, squadron, etc., or a high ranking civil official aboard, flies the personal flag or command pennant of that person. | |||||||||||||||
Company Grade | Refers to officers of the grades 01-03 in the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps. | |||||||||||||||
Decommissioning | A somber ceremony which terminates the active naval service of ships other than those lost at sea. | |||||||||||||||
Dining-In | A formal dinner given by a unit which follows a traditional format. | |||||||||||||||
Dinner Partner | At formal dinners, a gentleman will often escort the lady who will sit to his right at the table (his dinner partner). | |||||||||||||||
Ensign | A flag designated by a country to be flown by its man-of-war | |||||||||||||||
Etiquette | Behavior or form required by good breeding or prescribed by authority in social and official life. | |||||||||||||||
Excellency | A courtesy title used in addressing a foreign ambassador. | |||||||||||||||
Field Grade | A term used by the Army, Air Force and Marine Corps to refer to officers of the grades 04-06. | |||||||||||||||
Flag Officers | . | Refers to officers O-7 and above. | ||||||||||||||
Formal attire | General term used to refer to Black Tie or White Tie events. | |||||||||||||||
General Officers | Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps officers grades 07 and above. | |||||||||||||||
Honorable | A courtesy title used in addressing U.S. ambassadors, ministers, governors, cabinet officers, Senators, Congressmen and women, Assistant to the President, Assistant Secretaries, Judges, Mayors. | |||||||||||||||
Hors doeuvres | Any of various savory foods served as appetizers. | |||||||||||||||
Informal Attire | Seasonally appropriate service dress uniform for military. Civilian: Business suit for men and short dressy dresses, long skirts, or long dresses for women. | |||||||||||||||
Junior Officer | Term used in the U.S. Navy to refer to officers of the grades 01-04. | |||||||||||||||
Keel-laying | The first milestone in the history of a ship, recognized by a simple ceremony to mark the laying of the keel. | |||||||||||||||
Launching | See Christening. | |||||||||||||||
Lounge Suit | Expression used by the British for Civilian Informal; or business suit for men, informal dresses for women. | |||||||||||||||
Luncheon | Used interchangeably with lunch in writing to refer to a gathering of individuals for a noon meal. On invitations: to a luncheon implies a number of guests will attend; to luncheon indicates fewer and a more intimate group. | |||||||||||||||
Menu Cards | A formal card approximately 4 x 6 inches in size upon which is printed the menu for 3 formal luncheon or dinner. | |||||||||||||||
Merchant Ensign | The Flag designated by a country to be flown by merchant vessels of that country. | |||||||||||||||
Mr. Vice/Madame Vice | Affectionate term for the junior member of a mess who acts as Vice President for a Dining-ii. | |||||||||||||||
National Flag | The flag flown to represent a national government. | |||||||||||||||
Notations written on calling cards: |
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Precedence | The right to superior honor on a ceremonial or formal occasion. A diplomats date of precedence is the day on which he/she presented credentials to the host government. This date aids in ranking members of the diplomatic corps. | |||||||||||||||
Protocol | A code prescribing adherence to correct etiquette and precedence. | |||||||||||||||
Receiving Line | A group of people who stand in a line and individually meet and welcome arriving guests to a social function. | |||||||||||||||
Reception | A ceremony of receiving guests. Very often a cocktail party which has a receiving line. | |||||||||||||||
Regrets only | Used on invitation cards in the lower left hand comer in lieu of R.S.V.P. Regrets only indicates a response isrequired only when the invitation is not accepted. | |||||||||||||||
Reminder Cards | Also called to remind cards and used as a follow-up on accepted telephoned invitations. | |||||||||||||||
R.S.V.P. | The French abbreviation for respondéz sil vous plait, meaning, please reply. It is written on invitationsin the lower left hand comer. | |||||||||||||||
Semi-engraved invitation | An invitation generally used for formal and sometimes informal occasions which allows room for partially handwritten information. | |||||||||||||||
Senior Officer | Refers to naval officers of the grades 05-06. | |||||||||||||||
Sponsor | The title given to a prominent lady of the community and member of the Society of Sponsors who participates in the christening of a ship. She breaks a bottle of wine on the bow of the ship and names it as the ship slides into the water. | |||||||||||||||
Take-in Cards | A small folded card used at formal dinners, with a gentlemans name written on the outside and his partners name written inside together with a small diagram showing their position at the table. | |||||||||||||||
Toasting | A means of expressing good will toward another by drinking to that wish. | |||||||||||||||
WAVES | A term used during World War II meaning Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. The term is now inappropriate and should not be used in reference to Navy women. | |||||||||||||||
Wetting Down | Slang for a promotion party | |||||||||||||||
White Tie | A very formal attire not often used in the U.S. today. Uniform-formal dress. Civilian-full dress evening wear; tails for men; very dressy gowns for women. |
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