blanket drill

A military term for sleep. Is it time for blanket drill yet? I'm exhausted. The blanket drill never lasts long enough. It feels like the sun comes up as soon as I close my eyes. A: "What's the blanket drill?" B: "Don't worry, kid, it'll be your favorite part of basic training."

Chinese fire drill

This term is often considered offensive.

1. A wild or chaotic situation. Boy, that meeting quickly devolved into a Chinese fire drill with people just shouting over each other.

2. A prank in which people get out of a car (while it is stopped at a red light) and run around it to change seats. Now that you have your own car, I don't want to hear about you kids doing Chinese fire drills or any other ridiculous things like that.

drill (someone) (with questions)

To intensely or vigorously interrogate someone. My parents wouldn't stop drilling me with questions as I was heading out the door—I thought I'd never be able to leave! Would you stop drilling me? I don't know where he is! The police drilled the suspect with questions regarding his whereabouts during the crime.

See also: drill

drill bit

The pointed part of a drill that bores a hole into the surface or material being drilled. I think we'll need a different size drill bit to make a bigger hole in this wood. I did find the drill, but there was no drill bit. So what do we do now? I was hoping to make these holes with my drill bit, but then the power went out!

drill down

1. To bore a hole down into something; to drill in a downward direction. Unfortunately, we need to drill down into the ground to try to find the burst pipe. You're going to need a more powerful tool to drill down through a layer of concrete this thick. Drill down into the floorboard so we can attach the railing.

2. To examine or study something in detail. OK, how can I drill down and get more information on each payee on this spreadsheet? A: "You have to drill down on every single line of The Waste Land?" B: "Well, yeah, unless I want to include other works by Eliot in my thesis." Can you please drill down on this user's account and see why an outdated record is being pulled up every time she tries to sign in?

drill in

To teach something through repetition. A noun or pronoun can be used between "drill" and "in." When I was a kid, our teachers simply drilled the times tables in. We're going to keep drilling in these formulas until you know them off by heart! Come on, of course our English professor drilled that in. The title The Sound and the Fury comes from Shakespeare.

See also: drill

drill in(to) (someone or something)

1. Literally, to bore into or pierce something. Unfortunately, we need to drill into the ground to try to find the burst pipe. You're going to need a more powerful tool to drill into a layer of concrete this thick. We need to drill into the floorboard to attach the railing.

2. To teach something through repetition. When I was a kid, the times tables were simply drilled into us. We're going to keep drilling in these formulas until you know them off by heart! Come on, of course our English professor drilled that into us. The title The Sound and the Fury comes from Shakespeare.

See also: drill

drill sergeant

1. A non-commissioned officer in military or police forces usually assigned the duty of training new recruits. (More formally called a "drill instructor," as the title of "sergeant" is only given in certain territories and branches.) My drill sergeant made me run laps around the barracks until I vomited. Your drill sergeant may be tough, but they are making sure you become a reliable soldier. The troops abruptly stopped marching when the drill sergeant called them to attention.

2. By extension, someone in a position of authority or mentorship who is particularly exacting or ruthless. Our band teacher is a real drill sergeant, making us repeat the same sections over and over again until they're perfect. The coach may be seen as a drill sergeant by the athletes, but the success she has achieved with them is undeniable. You'll like working for Matt. He expects results, but he's not a drill sergeant about it.

See also: drill

fire drill

1. An organized evacuation of a building to prepare its occupants for the proper procedure in the event of an actual fire. Less than an hour after the school day began, the students were ushered out onto the lawn for a fire drill. We were terrified when the fire alarm woke us at 4 AM because we knew it probably wasn't a fire drill. A: "Elaine's supposed to be in charge when there's a fire drill." B: "Well, Elaine's off today, so I'm taking over. Everyone from HR, line up over here!"

2. By extension, any event, activity, or situation that is useless, unproductive, or a complete waste of time. Usually used in business. The massive flop of the company's newest smartphone means that the huge amount of time and money they invested in it ultimately proved to be nothing but a fire drill. This new product has to be a success—the company can't afford to blow more money on a fire drill. Sir, let me assure you, this app will not be a fire drill—we know it will fill a large void in the market.

3. Any unexpected, hurried, and particularly chaotic task, activity, event, or situation. Usually used in business. The boss dropped a fire drill in my lap at the last minute, saying I needed to write up a 15-page report for the board by the end of the hour. A: "Why is Emily panicking?" B: "Because the head of Legal came in at 4:05 and gave her a fire drill to take care of immediately." Hey, can I borrow your interns? It seems Benefits is dealing with a fire drill and needs all the help they can get stuffing envelopes.

know the drill

To be familiar with what happens or what needs to be done, without having to be told. OK, everyone, you know the drill! Stand beside your bunks and do not speak unless spoken to. The boss usually goes off on a tirade like this every week or so, but we all know the drill at this point—it's just a big show.

no names, no pack drill

If no names or specific details are mentioned, then no punishment or blame can be administered. There is a group of employees—no names, no pack drills—who figured out a way to manipulate the company's overtime policy. No names, no pack drill, but certain other candidates have been using taxpayers' money to fund personal trips and expenses.

short arms inspection

obsolete A public, visual inspection of soldiers' genitals conducted by a medical officer to determine whether or not they had contracted any sexually transmitted infections, especially gonorrhea. This practice was discontinued by the US military following the Vietnam war. As a young man of 19, it was deeply embarrassing being marched out at the crack of dawn for a short arms inspection alongside everyone in your squad—even more so because of the fear that the doctor might find something!

What's the drill?

What is the standard way that something needs to happen or function? A: "Hey, I'm new here. What's the drill when something like this happens?" B: "Oh, don't worry about it. Just stay at your desk until the quarantine is lifted." So, what's the drill for getting a new permit?

drill down (to something)

to bore downward to something or some distance. We drilled down to a layer of waterbearing sand, hoping to make a well. They had to drill down to bedrock to make a base for the piers that hold the building up.

drill in (to something)

to bore into or penetrate something. The worker drilled into the wall in three places. Please don't drill into the wall here, where it will show.

See also: drill

drill someone in something

to give someone practice in something. Now, I am going to drill you in irregular verbs. The teacher drilled the students in the use of the passive.

See also: drill

drill something into someone or something

and drill something in

Fig. to force knowledge into someone or something Learn this stuff! Drill it into your brain. Drill in this information so you know it by heart!

See also: drill

What's the drill?

1. Inf. What is going on here? Bill: I just came in. What's the drill? Tom: We have to carry all this stuff out to the truck. "What's the drill?" asked Mary. "Why are all these people sitting around like this?"

2. Inf. What are the rules and procedures for doing this? Bill: I need to apply for new license plates. What's the drill? Is there a lot of paperwork? Clerk: Yes, there is. Bill: I have to get my computer repaired. Who do I talk to? What's the drill? Bob: You have to get a purchase order from Fred.

no names, no pack drill

punishment or blame cannot be meted out if names and details are not mentioned.

Pack drill is a form of military punishment in which an offender has to perform parade-ground exercises while carrying a heavy pack. This early 20th-century expression is often used as an aside to recommend reticence about a particular subject.

drill into

1. To penetrate some surface by boring: The geologist drilled into the Earth's crust.

2. To teach or inculcate something to someone by constant, intense repetition: The teacher drilled the multiplication tables into the bored students. The teacher tried to drill into our heads the capital of every country.

See also: drill

blanket drill

n. a night’s sleep; sleep. (Military.) Fred is still on blanket drill. He’s in for it.

Chinese fire drill

A state of utter confusion. This cliché dates from about 1940 and today is considered quite offensive, disparaging the Chinese as disorganized. Nevertheless, it has not yet died out.

Chinese fire drill

A politically incorrect term for chaos. The phrase supposedly originated in the early 1900s. A ship with British officers and a Chinese crew practiced an engine room fire drill. The bucket brigade drew water from the ship's starboard side, carried it to the engine room, and simulated throwing it on the “fire.” Another crew carried the buckets to the main deck and threw the water over the port side. But when orders became confused in translation, the bucket brigade started to draw the water from the starboard side, run over to the port side, and then throw the water overboard, bypassing the engine room completely. A 1960s stunt was for a carload of teenagers of college students to stop at a red light, whereupon at the command “Chinese fire drill,” driver and passengers got out, ran around the car, and returned to their original seats. The same idea is sometimes heard as the equally politically incorrect “Chinese square dance.”

short arms inspection

Military inspection for venereal diseases. Beginning with World War II, the military made visual determinations with regard to sexually transmitted diseases (primarily gonorrhea) through what was called a short arms inspection (or drill). Held early in the morning, men dressed in only their boots, helmet liners, and overcoat were summoned out of their barracks or bunks and ordered to line up. When indicated by the medical officer, each man opened his coat to bare his penis, which he then “milked” in a stripping motion to show whether there was any infectious discharge. The term distinguished between a man's governmentissued firearm and his own “short arm.” The inspection practice ended after the Vietnam conflict.