Scout Glossary

100 Degrees of Frost – An award given to scouts and adults who have accumulated 100 degrees F camping in below freezing temperatures.

APL – Assistant Patrol Leader. Scout appointed by the Patrol Leader, who stands in for the Patrol Leader when needed.

ASM – Assistant Scoutmaster. An adult leader, appointed by the Scoutmaster to assist at meetings and on camping trips.

ASPL – Assistant Senior Patrol Leader. Scout appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader. In our Troop,the Senior Patrol Leader usually appoints two Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders –one in charge of programs, and one in charge of trips.

Bear Bag – Tarp rigged to hold food items overnight,generally tied to a tree and elevated where bears and minibears can’t get at it.

Blue Card – Card on which the merit badge counselor records progress on a merit badge. There are three portions – when you are finished, the counselor gets one part, the scout gets one part and the Advancement Chair gets the third part. See the information about merit badges on the Advancement page.

BOR – Board of Review. All rank advancements, except for the Scout badge, require a Board of Review. The members of a Board of Review are adult leaders (generally Committee Members) in the troop except for the Scoutmaster or any of his Assistant Scoutmasters. The main purpose of the Board of Review is not to retest the skills a Scout has learned, but to see what the Scout’s spirit is and how the troop is doing is helping the Scout along and meeting Boy Scout objectives.

Breakout – To dissolve into smaller groups for a meeting, e.g. patrols.

Buddy System – To have another Scout with you at all times.

Camporee – A District campout with many troops. Generally patrols compete in various events, testing Scouting skills and knowledge.

Class A’s – Tan BSA uniform shirt, troop neckerchief and slide. At some events, we don’t wear the neckerchief. (See "Uniform" under SCOUT area.)

Class B’s – Troop 31 t-shirt. Worn on service projects and other events that could lead to mud or other forms of dirt.

COA – Court of Awards. A formal ceremony, held two times a year, to recognize you and your fellow Scouts for rank advancement and other Scouting achievements. This event is held with an audience of family, friends, chartered organization officials, and troop leaders.

COH – Court of Honor. A formal ceremony, held to recognize a Scout who has earned their Eagle. This event is held with an audience of family, friends, chartered organization officials, troop leaders and honored local political representatives.

Cracker Barrel – An informal meeting for leaders with snacks held during a campout.

Den Chief – A scout approved by the Scoutmaster and the Cubmaster to assist in a Cub Scout den. The Scout is generally a First Class Scout or above. The Den Chief Training given by the council is recommended for scouts interested in being a Den Chief.

Fall In – A call by the Senior Patrol Leader or one of his Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders to gather. Scouts usually stand in patrols.

Firem’n Chip – A card showing that the Scout has earned theright to use matches and build cooking fires and campfires. Usually, a Scout will earn this on his first camping trip. If a scout is found behaving unsafely, a corner of the Firem'n Chip card is often cut off. When all four corners are gone, so are the Scout’s right to use matches and build cooking fires and campfires. If a scout loses these rights, he may get them back by taking the lesson again.

FOS – Friends of Scouting. An organization that supports Scouting at the council level. The Seneca Waterways Council does not collect membership fees and is supported by the efforts of Friends of Scouting fundraising and individual contributions. Friends of Scouting also runs many council events. Annually, Friends of Scouting is invited to conduct a fundraising appeal at one of the Troop’s Court of Honor ceremonies.

Greenlee – A bear-proof metal locker that is used at camp for storing food.

Grubmaster – The person responsible for buying food for a campout. The grubmaster should know how many scouts he is buying food for, and the menu for the trip. He should remember “A Scout is Thrifty” when he makes his choices at the supermarket.

Instructors – Scouts appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader who are responsible for teaching Scouting skills and knowledge to the other Scouts.

Klondike Derby – A district sponsored event during the winter. Patrols compete in various Scouting activities, with the ultimate activity being a race to haul a patrol-built sled around a designated course.

Librarian – A Scout appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader to keep track of the Troop’s collection of merit badge pamphlets.

MBD – Merit Badge Day. An Alpha Phi Omega national service fraternity sponsored event at Syracuse University, held on a Saturday generally in March. Merit badge counselors from the fraternity, university and Syracuse Longhouse Council volunteer to run classes for various merit badges. Prerequisites are generally outlined and must be completed prior to attending the MBD.

MBU – Merit Badge University. A Council sponsored event at St. John Fisher College, held on a Saturday in either January or February. Merit badge counselors from the council volunteer to run classes for various merit badges. Prerequisites are generally outlined and must be completed prior to attending the MBU.

Merit Badge Counselor – An adult who helps a Scout earn a merit badge. Interested adults should consult the information about merit badges on the Advancement page.

Minibears – Critters of the woodlands and plains who like to eat your meals and snack on your candy. (NO FOOD IN TENTS!)

NYLT – National Youth Leadership Training. An exciting, action-packed six-day program offered by the Boy Scouts of America and designed for councils to provide youth members with leadership skills and experience they can use in their home troops and in other situations demanding leadership of self and others. The NYLT course is presented in an outdoor setting and centers around the concepts of what a leader must BE, what he must KNOW, and what he must DO. The key elements are then taught with a clear focus on HOW TO. The skills come alive during the week as the patrol goes on a Quest for the Meaning of Leadership. Through a wide range of activities, games, and adventures, participants work and play together as they put into action the best Scouting has to offer.

OA – Order of the Arrow. A national honor society for Scouts.

PL – Patrol Leader. A Scout elected by his patrol to lead them at troop meetings and on camping trips, and to represent them on the Patrol Leader’s Council.

PLC – Patrol Leaders' Council. A Patrol Leaders' Council is made up of the Senior Patrol Leader, the Assistant Senior Patrol Leaders, the Patrol Leaders, and other youth leaders. The PLC meets at least once a month to plan meetings and outings.

PLT – Patrol Leader Training. Training conducted by Troop 31 for the Scouts who hold a position of leadership. Sometimes called the JLT, Junior Leader Training, this training is held once a year, before SPL elections and the patrol reshuffle, to train Scouts in their new positions and to plan meetings and events for the upcoming year. PLT is normally held in August over a weekend in Webster Park.

QM – Quartermaster is person in charge of equipment – packing it for each camping trip and at the end of each trip, issuing equipment to scouts to be cleaned or dried at home.

SC – Scoutmaster Conference is meeting with the Scoutmaster. At this meeting, the Scoutmaster will review the requirements for rank with the Scout to make sure that they have been learned correctly, help the scout set up the goals for the next advancement, and ask the scout to share ideas about the troop (how it’s going from your viewpoint, what you would like the troop to do more of, problems you see occurring, etc.). A Scoutmaster may request a conference with Scouts at any time, but for the most part the conference is part of rank advancement.

Scribe – The Scout who takes notes for meetings, appointed by the Senior Patrol Leader.

Service Hours – Hours of community service. Most rank advancements include a required number of service hours. For service projects not sponsored by the Troop, Scouts should get a letter from the sponsor, specifying the organization, the date of the service and the number of hours. Service projects sponsored by the Troop may also qualify for hours of community service at the Scout's school.

Signoffs – Signatures on advancement requirements. To sign off on a requirement, a Scout must be two ranks above that requirement. For example, a Second Class Scout may sign off on Scout rank requirements, a First Class Scout may sign off on Tenderfoot requirements, etc.

SM – Scoutmaster is main adult leader of your troop. He is responsible for training the Senior Patrol Leader, advising the Patrol Leaders' Council, meeting with each boy as they are ready for advancement (Scoutmaster Conference), and directing the activities of the various Assistant Scoutmasters.

SPL – Senior Patrol Leader is top Scout leader of the troop, elected by all of the Scouts. With guidance from the Scoutmaster, the Senior Patrol Leader is in charge of Troop Meetings and the Patrol Leaders' Council.

The SPL does all he can to see that the patrols succeed. To qualify for consideration as SPL, the Scout must have completed NYLT training.
Totin’ Chip – A card showing that the Scout has earned the right to use a knife, ax, and saw.  Usually a Scout earns this on his first camping trip.  If a scout is found handling wood tools incorrectly, a corner of the Totin’ Chip card is often cut off.  When all four corners are gone, so are the Scout’s totin’ rights. If a scout loses his "Totin' Rights" he may get them back by taking the lesson again. 
Troop Guide – A Scout designated by the Senior Patrol Leader to help new Scouts with their advancement. 
YPT – Youth Protection Training: Refers both to the guidelines given by BSA to insure youth protection (always have a buddy with you), and Youth Protection night, where the Scouts view the BSA video, “A Time to Tell” and talk about how to deal with situations of abuse.  Parents are invited to attend Youth Protection night, and should be aware that their Scouts may or may not want to talk about it later.  It is held during an April Troop Meeting.