bluebelly en · NOUN
Etymology
From blue + belly. The ventral abdomen of the adult lizard is characteristically blue. The soldiers wore blue gaberdines.
Meanings
- Sceloporus occidentalis, a North American lizard.
-
(historical) A Yankee; a Union soldier during the American civil war.
He almost dropped his end of the plank that had a wounded Federal on it. The bluebelly groaned. The Confederate trooper at the other end of the plank said, “Watch what you're doing, dammit! What the hell's wrong with you, anyways?"
2007, Harry Turtledove, Fort Pillow: A Novel of the Civil War, St. Martin's Press, →ISBN:The 'bluebelly' instantly disclosed that the troops were Confederate.
1989, Paul R. Stevenson, Cross a Wide River, →ISBN:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| bluebellies | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Antonyms
greycoat · graycoat · grayback · greyback