bloody shirt
noun
a bloodstained shirt used to incite a mob to vengeance.
any symbol used for this purpose.
Origin of bloody shirt
1First recorded in 1870–75
Words Nearby bloody shirt
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use bloody shirt in a sentence
He was the imbecile who stopped in Cincinnati and mailed you the bloody shirt to throw you off the scent.
Average Jones | Samuel Hopkins AdamsI don't know but I prefer the 'waving of the bloody shirt' to this flaunting of the olive-branch.
America To-day, Observations and Reflections | William ArcherTherewithal she pulled out a bloody doublet and a bloody shirt, that were be-bled with old blood.
Le Morte D'Arthur, Volume II (of II) | Thomas MaloryYet, as the sequel proved, it was long after Cleveland's day before the bloody shirt was laid finally to rest.
Marse Henry (Vol. 2) | Henry WattersonYet the bloody shirt lingered long as a troublemaker, and was invoked by both parties.
Marse Henry (Vol. 2) | Henry Watterson
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