Many of the early articles about the nomination, and older ones about Mr Brennan's career, refer … I'd imagine "spook" is like a lot of words outsiders use but insiders ignore or hate. They are black op "kites" at a moments notice they can be cut loose with absolutely no repercussions on an agency, Nobody in New Orleans (besides perhaps the tourist board) really calls the city the "Big Easy", just as people in San Francisco hate the nickname "Frisco". agents and clandestine operators in conduct of American foreign policy. an eccentric person. Our mission. , make afraid, make fearful, make nervous, panic, throw into a panic, These Foreign Words And Phrases Are Now Used In English. Informal. Sign up to our free daily newsletter, The Economist today, Published since September 1843 to take part in “a severe contest between intelligence, which presses forward, and an unworthy, timid ignorance obstructing our progress.”. Learn more about Careers Opportunities at CIA. SEE LESS. noun. It means deep cover. 1 informal A ghost. All rights reserved. As the glossary says, "Anyone who tells you about a black op is a liar." Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive. noun. JOHN BRENNAN has been nominated by Barack Obama to run the CIA. an espionage agent; spy. Shrug like a Frenchman and frown like a Russian. ‘Judge Steve Evans takes on these unspooky spooks and non-existent ghosts - and he doesn't mind one bit.’. Slang. A spook is the agent tasked with "erasing an issue". Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2020. Slang. This is where. Which of the following is a type of amphibian? One of the reasons is the nature of insider language itself. this magazine has suggested that the But who knows if Stratfor really got the real inside spook-speak? Are You Learning English? The title of the movie, of course, both refers to spook meaning "black person" and spook meaning "spy." The term spook as used in “CIA spook” has the same meaning as “ghost.” It does not literally mean a ghost, but it refers to those highly trained operatives who operate in clandestine roles; true secret spies. I've never heard my IT department refer to a "computer" (it's a "machine", of course). an agent (not wanting to blow cover or use their real names, of course). Though in the popular parlance they are "CIA agents", CIA spies call themselves "officers", and use "agents" to refer to the foreign nationals they recruit to help them spy. a ghostwriter. Early 19th century from Dutch, of unknown origin. what we preach, we priwrit the fol- ‘The Ghosts Of Pac-Man asks a number of searching questions about the blamanche-like spooks in the … operators. a ghost; specter. Our open-source library houses the thousands of documents, periodicals, maps and reports released to the public. Does English Have More Words Than Any Other Language? identify a great number of the lowing article, which tells how to Many of the early articles about the nomination, and older ones about Mr Brennan's career, refer to him as a "spook". Your talent. I've never heard a journalist refer to an "article"; we write "pieces". Discover the CIA history, mission, vision and values. , undercover agent, enemy agent, foreign agent, secret service agent, intelligence agent, double agent, counterspy, industrial spy, fifth columnist, mole, plant, scout. It can also refer to foreign nationals who work for the CIA in similar roles or intelligence operations. Surely that goes for much of the cant that makes up spy language. Insiders invent their own terms for things, to show that they are insiders, JOHN BRENNAN has been nominated by Barack Obama to run the CIA. OMS - Is the acronym/slang for the CIA's Office of Medical Services. Our, news, press releases, information and more, Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room, How to Check on the Status of Your FOIA Request, Documents Related to the Former Detention and Interrogation Program. The Company - What officers, agents and those on the inside call the CIA. a contemptuous term used to refer to a Black person. Several times in the last few years, the CIA. quickest single way to improve the Computer programmers aren't "programmers" and they don't "program": they're coders who code. would be to get rid of the covert Learn more about the Agency – and find some top secret things you won't see anywhere else. In the spirit of practicing Johnson reported earlier on a glossary of intelligence terms compiled by Stratfor, a private intelligence outfit, which was leaked. Differing from a spy, a spook does not exist on paper anywhere. It's designed to be different from what outsiders use. White Coats or Spooks in White - Is inside slang for CIA doctors/physicians. Learn how the CIA is organized into directorates and key offices, responsible for securing our nation. In the spirit of practicing what we preach, we priwrit the fol- by John Marks (especially of an animal) take fright suddenly. • "Spook", nickname for a Mine Protected Combat Vehicle, a Rhodesian armoured fighting vehicle would be to get rid of the covert agents and clandestine operators in the CIA. Here Are Our Top English Tips, The Best Articles To Improve Your English Language Usage, The Most Common English Language Questions. (Professional spies, please feel free to let us know in the comments.). Agency's "secret". ‘In their flower-powered custom van, the Mystery Machine, this teenage detective agency prowls the countryside in search of suspicious spooks and phony phantoms.’. But I suspect it's entirely journalistic jargon: while hacks use the term with a sort of knowing tone ("we're all habitués of the spook business here"), I imagine that spooks do not, in fact, call themselves spooks.