It's been about 6 months since I started a job in government. The learning curve can be steep at first — especially if you're unfamiliar with the parlance of bureaucrats. For the uninitiated, here's a 🧵 with some commonly used phrases and what they mean in plain English:

Excellent round-up. So much more: BLUF, FYSA, saved rounds, and painting your squawk are some of the best slowly to make their way from defense to state.

Ok, what does “paint your squawk” mean? I’ve worked at State for 15 years and haven’t heard that one.

From a marine aviator. Radar tracks (or paints) things, namely the noses of other planes. Plane noses are called squawks, as are mouths. I’m “painting your squawk” = I’m tracking what you’re saying.