Alternate names for "Tank"

Either that way, or by "Let's pretend they're industrial equipment" - tubs - as in "small ungainly ships". It could be a term of affection, or refer to the sound of the engine. But then tank crew would be tubbies because they don't have to march, and anti-tank weapons would be tub-thumpers! :D

remote controlled tanks would be called teletubbies?
 
In english, I rather like "Combat Tractor", which was previosuly suggested. It combines the name of large vehicle type that aleady existed with its role. Just hearing the term gives one a good visual image of what an early tank is. Perhaps as the term became established it might be abbreviated into something like "Comtrack", "C-track" or just plain "Tractor" .

Related possibilities might be "GunCar", "Gun Tractor" (GunTrak), but this presumes tanks began as armored moble gun carrages rather than infantry assault vehicles.
 

Sabot Cat

Banned
Has anyone suggested Land Ironclads yet, as per the H.G. Wells story in 1903?

Edit: Oh, Zor did! Well, I agree with them. That'd be the alternate name I'd use.
 
You could have them called "land dreadnaughts", which gets shortened to "dreads". Or, if they grow out of tracked artillery towers, you could have them called "primes", shortened from "prime movers". Or, they could be called "mobile forts", which gets shortened to "mofos".

Except armoured cars already exist, and these wouldn't look a whole lot like them.
I too think "armor" is a good name for them, following the example of "panzer". Just have it be a shortened form of "armored tractor".
 
Actually, one of their first one from August 1914 was called Vezdekhod (something like going everywhere)

You can also check it on wiki:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vezdekhod
That thing is so cool; looks like the Russians have an innate ability for building things with sloped armor (starting with the onion domes).

But how other languages are going to use this is hard to imagine.
Simple: Have Russia unite the Slavs with their terrible new Vezdekhod, symbol of modern, mechanized war. Nobody in Western Europe can think of a better term. :p

Polish language mames them as Czołg which actually means crawler as was proposed by few posts here. ;)
And Hungarian language names them harckocsi - armored vehicle.
I though the Poles used "Pancer". Interesting.

remote controlled tanks would be called teletubbies?
This is why we need to be careful about our suggestions...

All Terrain Assault Tractor

And then abbreviated by the initials ;)
I like this.

You could have them called "land dreadnaughts", which gets shortened to "dreads". Or, if they grow out of tracked artillery towers, you could have them called "primes", shortened from "prime movers". Or, they could be called "mobile forts", which gets shortened to "mofos".


I too think "armor" is a good name for them, following the example of "panzer". Just have it be a shortened form of "armored tractor".
That was your reasoning for posting here at all, wasn't it? ;)
 
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