redshirt
/ˈɹɛd.ʃəː(ɹ)t/
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.64 in modern English
Meaning
noun
A supporter of the Italian nationalist leader Giuseppe Garibaldi, especially a member of his thousand-man army which conquered Sicily.
noun
A revolutionary or anarchist.
noun
A college athlete who spends a year not participating in official athletic activities, but does not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years.
American usage
noun
An unimportant character introduced only to be killed in order to underscore the peril to the important characters; an expendable character.
Slang
noun
A person responsible for loading and unloading weapons, artillery, and equipment from aircraft.
American usage
noun
Alternative form of Red Shirt (“member of the UDD”).
verb
To place an athlete in a status wherein the athlete will spend a year not participating in official athletic activities, but will not lose his or her eligibility to participate in following years.
American usage
verb
To take on a status wherein one will spend a year not participating in official athletic activities.
American usage
Example Sentences
- "Loyal regiments from Naples and other provinces of the mainland fought valiantly and were victorious un several skirmishes against the redshirts near Capua."
- "Sensing danger, Captain Kirk decided to beam down to the surface with Spock, McCoy, and a couple of redshirts."
- "I am not a goddamn redshirt! I have a purpose!"
- "As armoured personnel carriers rumbled on to Bangkok's deserted streets, thousands of troops fanned out in a cordon across the city, surrounding the redshirts' fortified protest camp."
- "The university decided to redshirt the freshman linebacker to give him an extra year to build up his bulk."
- "Being asked whether I was going to be redshirted had some status associated with it."
Etymology
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /ˈɹɛd.ʃəː(ɹ)t/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Sports, Military.