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I'm five by five

Discussion in 'Whatnots' started by kuemper, Mar 31, 2006.

  1. kuemper Gems: 31/31
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    WTH does 'five by five' come from? I hear pilots saying it in the PC games hubby plays, especially Deus Ex. I know it means 'I'm fine' as slang.
     
  2. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I have never heard of that expression. It sounds like gibberish to me.
     
  3. Jhonka

    Jhonka This is the face of Justice Veteran

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    I've heard it before too, but I don't have any idea what it means.


    edit: The term comes from old radio slang. When communicating over radio, the operator would report the strength and clarity of the signal on a scale of 1 to 5 each. Therefore, if a radio operator described the signal as "five by five" it meant it was both loud and clear.
    from www.urbandictionary.com
     
  4. kuemper Gems: 31/31
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    Thank you.

    /wants to hug Jhonka, but thinks better of it
     
  5. T2Bruno

    T2Bruno The only source of knowledge is experience Distinguished Member ★ SPS Account Holder Adored Veteran New Server Contributor [2012] (for helping Sorcerer's Place lease a new, more powerful server!) Torment: Tides of Numenera SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    I used to use the term all the time in the military. It's typically used as slang on circuits where data is transferred. On voice-nets you usually just say loud and clear.

    But, yes, it has come to mean that an individual is doing fine.
     
  6. kuemper Gems: 31/31
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    I first heard it from Faith in Buffy. She would say, "I'm five by five."
     
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