lead swinger
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English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]- A pre-First World War nautical term for an easy job aboard a ship, later adopted by Canadian soldiers to refer to those shirking their duties.
Noun
[edit]lead swinger (plural lead swingers)
- (derogatory) A person who "swings the lead"
- 2008, Shock Troops: Canadians Fighting The Great War 1917 - 1918, →ISBN, page 239:
- And indeed, malingerers and "lead-swingers" (a prewar nautical term for an easy job aboard a ship, adopted by soldiers to refer to those shirking their duties) were mixed among the truly sick.
There was a whole bunch of us - various complaints - some real but most of them "lead swingers," trying to dodge a working party.
Synonyms
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