zips in the wire

A quote from "Platoon", but used in general conversation in "the Nam". It's based on a racest term "zipper-head", a name the US soldiers gave the Northern Vietnamese and militia (Vietcong) combatants to de-humanize their targets. It was quicker to refer to them as Zips, Cong, or V.C., and also served to make them "less human" in the eyes of the invading forces. Today, most people have forgotten about particulars of the Vietnam war, and often use the phrase as meaning there are enemies close at hand, or you are surrounded by very serious problems.