blue job

English

Etymology

From the colour of the uniform, and slang job (“thing”).

Noun

blue job (plural blue jobs)

1. (UK, air force slang, dated) A member of the air force.

   Synonym: boy in blue

   Coordinate term: brown job

   • 2006, David W. Clark, Joe's Letters, page 38:

     Air force personnel used to distinguish airmen (blue jobs or boys in blue) from army personnel (brown jobs or boys in brown).

   • 2014, Preller Geldenhuys, Rhodesian Air Force Operations, page 224:

     As Blue Jobs we had to walk behind the sweep line, probably because we would have been a liability had there been a scene. We hadn't quite reached the camp area when we heard the sound of Ray's chopper.