A derogatory pun on "field service". The field service organisation of any hardware manufacturer, but especially DEC. There is an entire genre of jokes about DEC field circus engineers: Q: How can you recognise a DEC field circus engineer with a flat tire? A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat. Q: How can you recognise a DEC field circus engineer who is out of gas? A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat. See Easter egging for additional insight on these jokes.