noun General Slang

brown shoe

· noun · military

A naval aviator. From the brown footwear that goes with the flight-crew uniform.

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Definitions

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A naval aviator or aircrew member, as opposed to a 'black shoe' — the surface warfare officer or sailor working the ship itself. Two tribes in the Navy with the eternal rivalry to match: who really runs the carrier.

“Wardroom's half brown shoes tonight — squadron just came aboard.”
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brown shoe In A Sentence

Wardroom's half brown shoes tonight — squadron just came aboard.

Origin & Usage

US Navy aviators and aircrew were authorised brown shoes with khakis from the 1920s onward, distinguishing them from the black-shoe surface-warfare community. The footwear came and went over the decades; the nickname didn't.

People Also Ask

What does brown shoe mean in the military?

It's slang for a naval aviator, referring to someone who flies rather than serves on the surface fleet.

Where does the term brown shoe come from?

It comes from the brown footwear worn with the flight-crew uniform, distinguishing aviators from the black-shoe surface navy.

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