brown shoe

brown shoe (plural brown shoes)

1. (US, naval) A naval aviator.

   Coordinate term: black shoe

   • 2004, W. Brad Johnson, Gregory P. Harper, Becoming a Leader the Annapolis Way, page 21:

     Halsey was also a “brown shoe,” a naval aviator, who was outgoing, bold, and sometimes maybe even a little too daring.

• Black Shoes and Brown Shoes: Beyond the Flight Deck of an Aircraft Carrier