Attention to all NS girlfriends and family members. If you’ve been watching your partner or friend fluently speak Singapore army lingo from the sidelines, it’s time to pick them up yourself too, so you won’t be lost in translation when your enlisted friends use these terms at weekend dinners or catch-ups.
Table of Contents
Here’s a compilation of the most common NS slang terms in the Singapore army and their meanings.
The “Stand by Bed” being conducted.
Image credit: The Singapore Army via Facebook
“Stand by Universe” might sound like the galactic call to arms from the Guardians Of The Galaxy to defend the universe, but it’s actually one of the more common punishments in NS.
When you see “stand by universe” in your platoon WhatsApp group, it’s a call for you to clear every single thing out of your bunk and bring out all your belongings to the parade square. If even a toothpick is found inside your bunk and its surrounding area, you’ll be in big trouble.
Be thankful that the gravity of the phrase has lessened over the years – in the good ol’ days, even the beds and cupboards had to be brought down.
When asked by higher-ups in the army, it’s natural to explain your actions starting with “I think…” but that’s when you leave yourself vulnerable and your superior will whip out the trump card in the debate – “You think, I thought, who confirm?”
Till today, we’re unsure if it’s due to the complete absurdity of this army phrase or the sharpness and acumen that leaves you at a loss for words.
No, you’re not the champion of eating Bo Bo Cha Cha. Simply put, the meaning of this NS slang for “Bobo King” is a title bestowed upon the recruit who misses every target at the rifle range.
This title’s nothing to be proud about. Just pray that someone out there is better at missing everything.
Image credit: Basic Military Training Centre
From a distance as far as 300m to something as close as 50m, be it shooting in the day or the night, the “Bobo King” just can’t seem to land any of his shots. No amount of adjusting the rifle’s scope or swapping rifles with a marksman will help him shoot any better.
Image credit: SAF Eyepower via Facebook
“Act blur, live longer” means exactly what it says: pretend you don’t know anything and you’ll survive, especially when you’re the resident newbie.
How it works:
This way, you wouldn’t invite unnecessary mistakes and dig a deeper grave for yourself.
Image credit: Basic Military Training Centre
Hearing a sergeant shout “whole lot knock it down” is not a signal for you to hit the floor as if the beat dropped and bust out spectacular b-boy dance moves. The only appropriate thing you just did was to hit the floor.
This is one of the most common punishments in the army: push-ups. Upon the command, everyone goes into the push-up position, accompanied by rhetoric about why you’re facing the floor.
Image credit: IMDA
Remember to RSVP because this is one party you have to attend. You’ll hear your sergeants hollering “turnout, turnout” over the blaring of an alarm, and you’ll have to gather downstairs as fast as possible.
It’s not a PJ party so you’ll need to change into your uniform and bring down all your equipment. The organisers can be fickle about the dress code so once you arrive in your Long 4 and full battle order (FBO) you might have to change into the more comfortable PT kit within the next minute.
Image credit: Basic Military Training Centre
When you hear this over the radio, it’s not a call for Charlie or Mike but rather the announcement that the mission has not ended. The meaning of “Charlie Mike” stands for “Continue Mission”, because in the army terms, there are fixed words for the first letter of the actual words.
In this case, we’d wish those who’ve received a “Charlie Mike”, Golf Lima (Good Luck).
Image credit: Low Yen Ling via Facebook
A special few have a dormant power that’s activated when faced with seemingly insurmountable tasks. It’s called “eye-power”. But it’ll not make completing tasks any easier. All it does is let you see them through completion, at the risk of annoying your hands-on platoon mates.
In other words, you do nothing at all.
Image credit: Netflix
“One time good one” is another army phrase that you’ll hear a lot from your commanders. It’s basically their way of saying “do this once and do it well, so you don’t have to do it again”.
For example, if your platoon commander wants everyone to bellow out a “yes sergeant!” loud and coherently, he might add on by saying “one time good one”.
The army lingo “Reveille” itself is actually of French origin, and refers to a bugle or trumpet call played at sunrise for soldiers to wake up and start the day. Of course, they don’t use things like a bugle or trumpet call anymore, and its your responsibility to ensure you and your platoon mates all wake up on time for the first parade of the day. Or else the whole lot of you would have to knock it down.
“Armskote” basically refers to the storage room or armoury where the recruit’s weapons and magazines are kept and to “draw arms” is when you go down to the armskote to collect those items for training purposes.
No, this is not a lucky 4D number that your sergeants are telling you to buy. Rather, it’s a form you’ll find yourself signing when you damage or lose any piece of equipment in the army. Instead of paying for the damages out of pocket, the amount will be deducted from your next payslip.
Image credit: Ministry of Defence Singapore via YouTube
Just like life, sometimes the army’s rifle can cock up anytime, due to a bullet jamming when being loaded into the chamber. This might cause a holdup in the firing range when the other recruits are already done and you’re stuck. When this happens, you’re supposed to holler “IA IA IA!”, which is short for immediate action, to let everybody know of your situation and fix the issue.
No “paradise now” does not refer to any secret code name of a meeting point which you’re supposed to meet your commander at in the middle of the night. Rather, the army lingo is good news, as it usually means that whatever exercise or event you were just doing is now over.
Book-out days are precious and it’s always the best time to share your army stories with your friends and family. Cherish these moments over a meal or shared activity while saving money at the same time, because there’s POSB Save As You Serve (SAYS).
POSB SAYS is a savings programme specially for NSFs, that comes with a few perks. In your POSB Save As You Earn (SAYE) account, you get a 2% per annum interest rate on your monthly savings. Spending with the participating debit cards will also give you a 2% cash rebate on contactless MasterCard® transactions.
At the end of NS, collect the savings you’ve racked up and celebrate your return as a civilian in style!
These army lingo borne from the confines of NS don’t have to stay within those 4 walls. They make up the expansion pack of the English dictionary that should be shared with the rest who did not get the opportunity to go through NS.
With a good sense of humour, you can use these phrases when you’re out and about meeting your friends. You might need to “Charlie Mike” your outings and use book-out days strategically to share what you’ve learnt from the NS dictionary.
This post was brought to you by POSB. The promotions featured in this article may no longer be available.
*This article is not endorsed by the Ministry of Defence, Singapore.
Last updated by Syahiran Sean on 29th August 2025.
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