Dictionary

seven-level en · NOUN

Etymology

Shortened from a longer, bureaucratic US military designation (an Air Force Specialty Code), where '7' was code for "Craftsman".

Meanings

1. (US) A person who has qualified for "Craftsman" level of skill in the United States Air Force, with more training than "Journeyman" (five-level), but less than a "Superintendent" (nine-level)
   • I asked how they were doing and they said they couldn't figure out the T.O. and were waiting for a seven level to explain it to them. I went back to my truck and told maintenance control we'd need a seven level radio man. 1966, The MAC FLYER, volume 13, number 5, Directorate of Safety, Headquarters Military Airlift Command, page 29:
   • Follow-on training would take place after completion of the basic apprentice or craftsman courses. Three-level students would attend ATHRS training, and select 7-level students (approximately 49 per year) would attend AFBDS training. 2003, Air Force Logistics Management Agency, Year in Review, 2003, DIANE Publishing, page 169:
   • The Civil Engineer (CE) Readiness Flight Officer and seven-level Craftsman courses provide flight leaders and mid-level NCOs with the background and the technical information that is necessary for effective management of the CE Readiness Flight and contingency response operations. 2003, Department of Defense Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Defense Program Annual Report to Congress 2003, DIANE Publishing, page 107:
   • While I was assigned to the parachute shop, although I was in charge and was the senior NCO in charge of two other SSgt's and seven airmen, I was still only a five level and could not be promoted to TSgt without making a seven level. 2005, Richard R. Simmons, A Long Hard Ride, AuthorHouse, page 116:
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis) Ellipsis of seven-level screwdriver.
   alt of seven-level screwdriver
   • [H]e takes from the breast pocket of his khaki shirt the little seven-level screwdriver he took from Michael Amerchrome: Plastic handle insulates, so seven-level may be used as low-voltage shorting bar, though the metal pen- (pocket-) clip on the handle's side makes you wonder; large enough for a firm grip; light enough to be used as a mallet on delicate components; small diameter of shank permits its use as a probe in confined places or as a chisel to scrape away corrosion between narrow-printed circuit channels; when magnetized, the small shank can retrieve metal parts that fall into restricted spots .... 1966, Joseph McElroy, A Smuggler's Bible, Harcourt, Brace & World, page 228:
   • >>> A 'tweaker' being a very small screwdriver. I first met that term in 1955. >>We called them 7-Levels in ADC. > Why? A 5-level is a term for a journeyman technician (3-Levels are trainees), and a 7-level was management-expert technician. I'm not sure of the history, but it went something like the only difference between a 5-level and a 7-level was the size of his screwdriver. 2002 June 28, Jerry Helms, “IFF vs. Transponders”, in rec.aviation.military (Usenet), message-ID <PO4T8.44199$781.24239@news1.central.cox.net>:

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