Bomber
Bomber turns up in 2 fields: textiles, shop slang. Here is what it means to the people in each one.
Bomber in textiles
A short waist-length outerwear jacket featuring a gathered or ribbed waistband and matching cuffs.
A casual outerwear garment modeled after historic military flight jackets. It is characterized by a cropped length that ends at the natural waist, complete with a ribbed elastic or knit waistband and matching cuffs to seal out wind. The body is typically cut full to allow layering and ease of movement, often featuring a zippered front and a low knit collar.
"We need to adjust the pattern on this bomber because the ribbed hem is riding up too high when the wearer raises their arms."
Bomber in shop slang
Exceptionally sturdy, reliable, and capable of withstanding heavy abuse without failing.
Borrowed from rock climbing slang, this describes equipment, structural ties, or repairs that are over-engineered and completely trustworthy. When a setup is given this label, workers trust it with their safety or the success of a critical lift. It implies that no matter what goes wrong elsewhere, this specific component will hold.
"Those new steel anchor points are absolutely bomber, you could hang a dump truck off them."