bloody back en · NOUN
Etymology
From the military practice of flogging as discipline.
Meanings
-
(archaic, derogatory, slang) A soldier.
[…] how the troops came marching out for evening exercise under Captain Preston; how pedestrians and street urchins taunted them, shouting "Lobsters," "Bloody-backs," and flinging snow-balls, turnips, […]
1912, Ralph Davol, Two Men of Taunton: In the Course of Human Events, 1731-1829, page 214:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bloody-back | alternative | lexicographic | |
| bloody backs | Number=Plur | lexicographic |