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You are here: Home / Language / What does the phrase “dead man” (or soldier) mean and Where does it come from?

What does the phrase “dead man” (or soldier) mean and Where does it come from?

July 10, 2020 by Karen Hill

“Dead soldier” means just a liquor bottle, or, perhaps nowadays, can, that is empty; hence, worthless, good for nothing, as a dead man or soldier on a battlefield would be.

The term was recognized in A New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew, printed about 1700, and must certainly have been used many years earlier to have received a listing in that collection.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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