yardbird

Thân thiện

Definition

Noun: 1. A person serving a sentence in a jail or prison: A slang term for a convict or inmate. 2. A military recruit who is assigned menial tasks: A slang term for a new soldier who is given basic, often unpleasant, duties.

Usage and Examples

• As a term for a prisoner:
  • The old-timer told stories about the famous yardbirds he'd met inside.
  • After the riot, the yardbirds were confined to their cells.
• As a term for a new soldier:
  • The sergeant made the new yardbirds scrub the latrines.
  • As a yardbird, his first month was spent on kitchen duty.

Advanced Usage Notes

• Register: This word is informal slang. It is not appropriate for formal or academic writing.
• Connotation: The term often carries a dismissive or derogatory tone, implying low status, whether in prison (as a convict) or in the military (as a low-ranking recruit).
• Origin: The prison sense likely comes from "yard" referring to the prison exercise yard. The military sense relates to being confined to base or assigned to duties around the barracks yard.

Variants and Related Words

• Yard (noun): In this context, specifically the enclosed area for exercise in a prison or the grounds of a military base.
• Inmate (noun): A more standard, neutral term for a person confined to an institution.
• Recruit (noun): The standard term for a newly enlisted military member.

Synonyms

• For the prisoner sense: convict, inmate, prisoner, felon (formal), con (slang).
• For the military recruit sense: recruit, rookie, newbie, grunt (slang, specifically for infantry).

Idioms and Fixed Phrases

• Doing (hard) time: Serving a prison sentence. (e.g., )

Học thuật

Noun

1. a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
2. a military recruit who is assigned menial tasks

Từ đồng nghĩa

• convict
• con
• inmate
• yard bird