Glossary .:

There are various terminology used when talking about soakers, some of which are not as well known or understood. This glossary has been posted to try and help standardize water weaponry terminology use.

General Soaker Overview Terminology

Soaker Size - Length - Weight

Mini - 5 to 15cm (2" to 6")- < 0.5kg (1.1 lbs) full
Small - 15 to 35cm (6" to 14") - 0.5 to 1kg (1.1 to 2.2lbs) full
Medium - 35 to 55cm (14" to 22") - 1 to 2kg (2.2 to 4.4lbs) full
Large - 55 to 70cm (22" to 28") - 2 to 4.5kg (4.4 to 9.9lbs) full
Extra Large - 70cm to 90cm (28" to 36") - 4.5 to 5.5kg (9.9 to 12.1lbs) full
Oversized - 90cm + (36"+) - > 5.5kg (12.1lbs) full
Note: for soakers of a given size, but odd weight, the prefixes 'Lightweight' or 'Heavyweight' may be added (i.e. Lightweight-Large soaker for a longer, but low weight soaker)

Power - Output - Range (average, not max)

Minimal - < 15mL/sec (< 0.5 oz./sec; <0.5x) - <6m (<20')
Low - 15 to 60mL/sec (0.5 to 2 oz./sec; 0.5x to 2x) - 6m to 12m (20' to 40')
Mid - 60 to 150mL/sec (2 to 5 oz./sec; 2x to 5x) - 9m to 13m (30' to 44')
High - 150 to 600mL/sec (5 to 20 oz./sec; 5x to 20x) - 10m to 16m (33'to 54')
Very High - 600mL/sec to 1L/sec (20 to 33oz./sec; 20x to 33x) - 14m to 19m (50' to 64')
Extreme - > 1L/sec (> 33oz./sec; > 33x) - >17m (> 56')
Note: for streams that fire shorter or longer for a given output rating, the prefixes 'Shortrange' or 'Longrange' can be added (i.e. Longrange-Mid power for a particularly farther-firing soaker)

Shot Time (continuous output above 70%)

Very Short: < 1 sec
Short: 1-3 sec
Average: 3-7 sec
Long: 7-15 sec
Very Long: > 15 sec

Terminology and Soaker Speak (a.k.a. War Lingo)

The following section outlines various terms and phrases one may encounter on the water war field. If you are interested in submitting additional terms or phrases, see Submission Info.

Air Shot: Firing out primarily air from a blaster. Sometimes trace amounts of water way also be expelled. This is a good technique to use when cleaning out a blaster, but horrible to experience when in the midst of a combat situation.
Ambush: Sudden surprise attack.
Aperture: The opening where water is fired from the water blaster.
Back-Up: This term may refer either to an additional blaster used when one's primary blaster runs dry or it may refer to an alternate water group that will come in to support during an attack.
Base: Designated area for refilling (typically) and planning made by a water warfare team. There are different classifications of bases depending on their capabilities (i.e. defences, water supply, mobility, etc.)
Blaster: Standard term for any device used for dispensing water over ranged-distances. Short-form of the term: water blaster.
Bomb: See Water Balloon.
Burst: A short stream duration fired from a water blaster. Also see Short Burst
Camouflage: Term describing colours/materials used to make one and one's water blaster match the terrain to minimize the chance of being detected.
Compression Chamber: See Pressure Chamber.
Cover: Areas which can be used to hide in or use for defence during an attack.
CPS (tm): Acronym for the Constant Pressure System(tm) developed by Larami Ltd. Based on a compression chamber which uses an elastic compartment to yield the power when filled with water.
CS(tm): Acronym for the Classic Series(tm) developed by Larami Ltd. All CS-class weaponry are based on the original Super Soakers(tm) line.
Dodge: Avoiding a water attack.
Drenched: See Soaked.
Dry-Shot: See Air-Shot.
EES (tm): Electronic Enhanced Soakage
Elite: Experienced water warrior.
Evade: See Dodge.
Fast-Fill Device: See Q.F.D.
F.F.A.: Free-For-All game. Minimal rules typically apply.
Firing Angle: Angle difference from horizontal at which a soaker will fire correctly (i.e. without sputtering)
Firing Chamber: See Pressure Chamber.
Full Burst: Completely emptying the full amount of pressurized water in a blaster during an attack.
Grenade: See Water Balloon.
Grip: The part of the water weapon held onto by one's hands. On most water blasters there are two grips: one where the trigger is and one for the pump.
Handle: See Grip.Some water blasters have an additional handle on their top for carrying purposes.
Hosed: See Soaked.
Hydro-Power: Term used in Water Warriors Blasters by Buzz Bee Toys Inc. that use a rubber diaphragm technology that yields similar performance to CPS-class blasters
I.D./O.D.: acronyms for Inner Diameter and Outer Diameter when referring to tubing size
"Keep the Pressure On": Continue to attempt to saturate the "Sponges".
Mine: See Water Mine.
Mist Shot: See Air Shot.
Monster: A Super Soaker® weapon series released in the year 2000.
Mousetrap: Having a bait in order to lead enemy troops into a trap or ambush.
Neutral Zone: See Safe Zone.
"No-Man's Land": Unclaimed territory.
Nozzle: Part of the blaster from which pressurized water is released from. Some blasters have multiple nozzles and/or multiple nozzle settings.
Nozzle Rating: Nozzles are rated on iSoaker.com based on their output in oz./sec. A nozzle with an output of 1 oz./sec is rated as a 1x nozzle.
O.H.K./"One-Hit Kills"/"One-Shot Kills": Term used in games in which, after a player is soaked, the player can no longer participate in the game until a new game begins. Players who are "killed" must go to some declared waiting area and await the next game.
Output: The rate of water delivered by a blaster per unit time. Output is typically reported as mL/sec or oz./sec
PC: acronym for Pressure Chamber
Power Soaker: The general term used for the pump-action based water blasters Larami Ltd. makes.
Pre-pressurize: Term denoting pre-pumping air into an air-pressure blaster with a separate pressure chamber in order to get a more consistent stream.
Pressure Chamber: The part of the water blaster which is pressurized to allow the weapon to fire. Some water weapons have separate pressure chambers while others use the reservoir as the compression chamber.
Pulse Shot: See Short Burst.
Pump: The part of the water blaster which, with a little bit of arm motion, pressurizes the compression chamber of the water blaster.
Pump Volume: The total amount of water moved from the reservoir to the compression chamber with one full pump. (Note: Not all water blsters pump water thus preventing their pump volumes from being measured accurately)
Q.F.D./Quick-Fill Device: Acronym for the Quick-Fill Device(tm). This device attaches to a standard garden hose allowing all Super Chargers(tm) Super Soakers(tm) to be refilled quickly. Also known as a Fast-Fill device.
Refill Station: Area designated for the refilling of blasters with water. Not all refilling stations are safe-zones.
Reservoir: The part of the water blaster which holds the bulk of the water/ammunition. Some soakers have multiple reservoir options while others have no external reservoir.
Riot Blast: Term associated with some water blaster nozzles which can be removed or modified such that the water blaster fires a burst of water instead of a stream. Less distance but greater area covered.
Safe Zone: Declared non-combat zone. In a safe-zone, water weaponry usage is prohibited. Violated of safe-zone rules should be punished based on what was agreed upon before a water war.
Saturated: Completely covered with water. Worse than being just soaked.
SC: Acronym for Super Chargers series developed by Larami Ltd. and released in 1999.
Shielding: Any portable piece of equipment which can be used to deflect blasts of water coming in one's direction.
Short Burst: A controlled, non-complete utilization of the pressurized water in a blaster to yield a short, but solid stream of water. Short bursts are best used when trying to conserve water.
Shot Time: Duration a blaster can fire before its stream begins to drop in strength.
Sniping/Snipering: Surprise, long-range attack from a blaster from a hidden location.
Soaked: Covered quite thoroughly with water. Best done to sponges and avoided by oneself.
Soaker: Alternate term to Water Blaster
SoakerTag: target-device designed by Hasbro Inc. as a way to objectively determine if a player is eliminated in a water fight
"Sponge": Enemy person/individual. "Sponges" should be soaked as intensely and often as possible.
Storm Gun: water blasters manufactured by Trendmasters Inc.
Strafe/Strafing: 1. Spraying an area with multiple-beams of water. While this technique lowers accuracy, it does increase the likelihood of hitting a target; 2. Side-stepping while firing (as is performed in most FPS computer games)
Strap: Part of some water blasters which allows them to be carried without needing to use one's hands. Straps can also be added to virtually any blaster with a little tweaking.
Stream: Water projected from a blaster.
Super Soaker®: The general term used for most of the water blasters Larami Ltd. makes.
Suppression Fire: Attacks not directed against any particular target, but done in order to minimize the enemy's ability to return fire.
SW: Acronym for Star Wars(tm) series developed by Larami Ltd. and released in 1999.
Tagging: similar to soaking, but requires some sort of device or method of determining whether a player has been tagged/eliminated (i.e. use of SoakerTags, colour-change shirts, etc.)
Tap Shot: a particularly short shot done by quickly tapping the trigger open and closed. Tap shots are much quicker than short bursts, but also dispense much less water.
Target: The object one wishes to unleash a volley of water at. Could be inanimate or human.
Trigger: Part of the blaster that allows the user to release the pressurized water out the nozzle.
Water Balloon: Standard term for a water-filled balloon. Typically water balloons are a one-use-only water dispensing device.
Water Blaster: The proper term for referring to a Super Soaker® or other potent water weapon.
Water Grenade: See Water Balloon.
Water Gun: Old term for water weaponry. Water Blaster preferred. See Blaster.
Water Mine: Stationary pressure-activated water dispensing device.
Water Warriors®: water blasters manufactured by Buzz Bee Toys Inc.
WWF Super Soaker: Acronym for the World Wrestling Fedaration series of Super Soaker developed by Larami Ltd. and released in 2000.
XP (tm): Acronym for the Xtra Power(tm) series developed by Larami Ltd. All XP-class weaponry have larger apertures than the original Super Soakers(tm).
XXP (tm): Acronym for the Xtra Xtra Power(tm) series developed by Larami Ltd. All XXP-class weaponry have larger apertures than the original Super Soakers(tm) as well as two nozzles

Words for Water

water (English)
H₂O (English - scientific)

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الماء (Arabic)
水 (shui - Chinese, Mandarin)
l'eau (French)
wasser (German)
ύδωρ (neroh - Greek)
hydro- (prefix, Greek)
acqua (Italian)
水 (Japanese)
물 (Korean)
aqua- (prefix, Latin)
ater-way (Pig Latin)
água (Portuguese)
вода (Russian)
agua (Spanish)