- shavetail
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/shayv"tayl'/, n. Slang.1. U.S. Army. a second lieutenant.2. a young, newly broken mule.[1840-50, Amer.; SHAVE + TAIL1; orig. in reference to unbroken army mules, whose tails were shaved for identification]
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Universalium. 2010.
shavetail
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shavetail — ☆ shavetail [shāv′tāl΄ ] n. [orig. an unbroken mule; ? in allusion to the untrained mules, with closely cropped tails, formerly sent to the Quartermaster Corps] Slang a second lieutenant, esp. one recently appointed … English World dictionary
shavetail — n. a second lieutenant; a noncommissioned officer in the army; any inexperienced person. (Military. From a nickname for an untrained mule that is marked by a shaved tail.) □ This shavetail here is trying to tell me my job. □ Who’s the shavetail… … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
shavetail — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ noun Etymology: shave (I) + tail; from the custom of shaving the tails of mules when they are broken in so that they can be easily distinguished from the untrained ones 1. : a pack mule especially when newly broken in 2. : a newly… … Useful english dictionary
shavetail — noun Etymology: from the practice of shaving the tails of newly broken mules to distinguish them from seasoned ones Date: 1846 1. a pack mule especially when newly broken in 2. usually disparaging second lieutenant … New Collegiate Dictionary
shavetail — noun An inexperienced person, especially a newly commissioned military officer … Wiktionary
shavetail — noun US military slang, often derogatory a newly commissioned officer. ↘informal an inexperienced person. Origin from the early sense untrained pack animal (identified by a shaven tail) … English new terms dictionary
shavetail — shave•tail [[t]ˈʃeɪvˌteɪl[/t]] n. Slang. mil a newly commissioned army officer, esp. a second lieutenant • Etymology: 1890–95, amer.; orig. in reference to unbroken army mules, whose tails were shaved for identification … From formal English to slang
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