camp follower

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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A follower who is not a member of an ingroup: A person who associates with or supports a group, movement, or organization without being a full, official, or committed member. This often implies a lack of genuine allegiance or a tendency to follow popular trends.
    • A prostitute who provides service to military personnel: Historically, a sex worker who travels with or near an army camp to offer services to soldiers.
Usage Examples

  • Noun (Non-member follower):

    • He was never a true activist, just a camp follower of the political movement.
    • The brand attracted many camp followers who were more interested in the trend than the product's philosophy.

  • Noun (Historical context):

    • In the 18th century, armies on the move were often accompanied by camp followers, including laundresses and traders.
    • The general issued orders to regulate the behavior of the camp followers near the barracks.
Advanced Usage
  • The term is often used pejoratively to describe someone whose support is seen as superficial, opportunistic, or lacking in depth.
    • Critics dismissed the new supporters as mere camp followers, jumping on a bandwagon.
  • In historical and military writing, the term can have a neutral, descriptive sense referring to the non-combatants (e.g., families, merchants, service providers) who accompanied armies.
Variants and Related Words
  • Follower (n): A person who supports and admires a particular person, group, or set of ideas.
  • Hanger-on (n): A person who associates with another person or group in a subordinate or unproductive capacity, especially for personal gain.
  • Sutler (n): A historical term for a merchant who sold provisions to an army in the field or camp.
Synonyms
  • Hanger-on
  • Opportunist
  • Fair-weather friend (idiomatic, for the first sense)
  • Prostitute, sex worker (for the second, historical sense)
Related Phrases
  • To follow the camp: An older phrase describing the action of accompanying an army, which gives rise to the noun "camp follower."
Related Idioms
  • Jump on the bandwagon: To join others in doing something that has become fashionable or popular. This idiom relates closely to the first sense of a "camp follower."
    • After the team started winning, many camp followers jumped on the bandwagon.
Noun
  1. a follower who is not a member of an ingroup
  2. a prostitute who provides service to military personnel