The secret language of flight attendants revealed
空乘人员“暗语”大曝光

For most people, hearing the expression ‘bidding’, ‘slam-clicker’ and 'coach-roach' will mean virtually nothing at all.

对大多数人来说，“bidding”、“slam-clicker”、“coach-roach”这些词根本毫无意义。

But to the experienced stewards and stewardesses, it is a language they are very familiar with.

但在经验丰富的空乘人员看来，这可是他们日常使用的一种“暗语”。

Sarah Steegar, a flight attendant with a majorUScarrier for the past 15 years, explains the hidden meaning behind many of the words.

萨拉·斯蒂格是美国一家大型航空公司的空姐，工龄15年。她向我们解释了其中一些词背后的含义。

Bidding: ‘This is the monthly process of telling the airline what you’d like for your next work schedule — a competition based on seniority.’

“投标”(Bidding)：“每月向航空公司提交下月理想工作时间表的程序——一场按资排辈的竞争。”

Deadhead: Everybody loves this one, but few use it correctly. It means flying as a passenger — as a company assignment.

“免费乘客”(Deadhead)：人人都喜欢这个词，但在空乘人员看来，用对的人很少。这个词的意思的确是免费搭乘航班——但得是作为航空公司的工作任务。

Basically, the airline needs you to be somewhere other than where you are, and you cannot or are not needed to work the flight. Best guess is it’s an old theatre term.

常见的情况，是航空公司需要你前往工作航线以外的地方，而你又不能或无需在这一航班上进行空乘服务。这个词最有可能源于旧时的剧场词汇。

Furlough: When airlines need to shrink, most don’t 'lay off,' they 'furlough.'

“暂时解雇”(Furlough)：航空公司减员时，往往不会选择直接“解雇”(lay off)，而是采用“暂时解雇”的方式。

If the business bounces back within a certain amount of time, the airline has to offer you your job back before they can hire new stews or pilots off the street.

如此一来，若经营状况能在约定时间内回温，航空公司就必须先召回“暂时解雇”的员工，如有空缺再招聘新的空乘人员或飞行员。

Pax: ‘Passengers’.

“乘客”(Pax)：“Passengers”的缩写形式，即乘客。

Slam-click(er): When a crew member goes to the hotel and does not emerge again until it’s time to leave.

“闭关(者)”(Slam-click(er))：若一位机组成员去宾馆休息，直到航班即将离开前才现身，这种行为就叫做“闭关”，这位机组成员就称为“闭关者”。

As in: slamming the door and clicking the lock. End of story. Can be used as a noun or a verb. ('I’m so tired I’m just gonna slam-click.' or 'You won’t see her for dinner. She’s a slam-clicker.)’

这个词的意思展开来说就是：关上门，插上锁。闲人勿扰。可以用作名词或动词。(例：“我太累了，我要去‘闭关’。”或“晚餐时你看不到她了，她去当‘闭关者’了。”)

Coach roach: Used wryly, usually for flight attendants who prefer working in the main/coach cabin. 'Business? No thanks. I’m a coach roach all the way, baby!'

“经济舱小强”(Coach roach)：用来调侃，通常指只想在主舱或经济舱工作的空乘人员。(例：“商务舱?不了，谢谢。我从来都是‘经济舱小强’，亲!”)

Blue juice: The blue water in the toilets. Not to be confused with your bonus term, 'crew juice', a special cocktail to be enjoyed on the van ride to a long layover hotel, usually as a sort of sleep-aid after an all-night flight.

“蓝色果汁”(Blue juice)：飞机洗手间内的蓝色消毒液。顺带再告诉大家一个词，千万别混淆：“机组果汁”(crew juice)。这是航班在某地经停过夜时，机组成员在前往宾馆的巴士上一起享用的一种特制鸡尾酒，常用于帮助机组人员在长途飞行后促进睡眠。

Recipes vary and may be subject to competitive secrecy.

各家航空公司的“机组果汁”调制方法也各有不同，可能也算一种商业秘密。

Crotch watch: Nickname for walking through the cabin to do a seatbelt check. Also called a 'groin scan'.

“胯部检查”(Crotch watch)：“安全带检查”的别称，指机组人员在客舱内依次检查乘客安全带是否系好，也称“腹股沟扫描”(groin scan)。

Landing lips: To put on 'landing lips' is to refresh one’s make-up at the end of a flight.

“着陆唇膏”(Landing lips)：涂“着陆唇膏”的意思就是空乘人员在飞行结束前补妆。