On 30May2020 0715, Kelly St. Clair wrote:
> On 5/28/2020 9:44 AM, xxxxxx@gmail.com wrote:
>> Well, it's 'battle dress' in that some wag hung that emotive title on
>> 'powered exoskeleton with armour'. It is technically true (much like
>> a set of fatigues is battle dress) but it's also just dramatic
>> sounding. The designers may never have called it that but the
>> marketers would.
>
> I wonder to what extent this is language and/or cultural - remember,
> Galanglic is not 20th/21st century English, it has even more <s>stolen
> vocabulary</s> loanwords, etc.  Maybe that's what the Vilani-derived
> phrase most literally translates as; meanwhile, the Sollies call it
> "power armo(u)r", as they have since long before it was actually
> invented/made practical.
>
> Alternatively, per your mention of marketing: could be that "battle
> dress" is trademarkable where "power armor" is not. (This, of course,
> works on a meta level as well. :p )
>
I've always thought that the Imperial Marines call it 'battle dress' to
emphasise that it's their normal combat armour. It's not some special
kit, but what Marines wear to the party. And if that's what the Marines
call it, well everyone else is going to as well. Okay, there'll be some
Army guys somewhere who will insist that it's proper name is [insert
some over-long descriptive name here], but nobody not below them in the
chain of command will care what they think.

--
Rupert Boleyn <xxxxxx@gmail.com>