dead soldier

noun

, Slang.

1. an empty beer, liquor, or wine bottle or empty beer can.

dead soldier

noun

1. informal.
   an empty beer or spirit bottle

Word History and Origins

Origin of dead soldier¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Idioms and Phrases

Also, dead man . An empty liquor, wine, or beer bottle, as in Their trash barrel's full of dead soldiers; they must drink a lot , or That dead man sticking out of your pocket alerted the officer to the fact that you'd been drinking. Dead man has been slang for “empty bottle” since the late 1600s but has been largely replaced by dead soldier , dating from the late 1800s.

Example Sentences

A memorial for dead soldiers right after the Civil War, she said, should be considered differently than a Confederate name chosen during the Massive Resistance movement of the 1950s.

From Washington Post

He was a particular dead soldier, and he was also every dead soldier.

From The Daily Beast

Mr. King," Lofgren recalls, "wanted to know how the dead soldier had entered the United States.

From The Daily Beast

"Too little, too late," complained another dead soldier's mother.

From The Daily Beast

The priest, bending over him, unclasped the chain and removed it from the dead soldier's neck.

From Project Gutenberg

"Stolen," she shuddered, and thought of the dead soldier with his face uplifted to the sky in an agony of supplication.

From Project Gutenberg

"He uses his sword well, anyhow," interrupted the captain, glancing at the dead soldier's cloven helm and head.

From Project Gutenberg

In a clear and ringing voice he read the solemn burial service, and the comrades of the dead soldier listened reverently.

From Project Gutenberg

A detail was sent to bring in the body of the dead soldier who had fallen just at the edge of the woods.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• glass
• jar
• jug
• urn
• vial