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bird colonel

American  

noun

U.S. Military Slang.
  1. chicken colonel.


bird colonel British  

noun

  1. slang:military a full colonel in the US Army

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bird colonel

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

I made bird colonel 6 years early, and I feel I earned my keep by making our spy satellites more effective.

From New York Times Mar. 23, 2017

He said the next step, he hopes, will be full bird colonel.

From Washington Times Jul. 24, 2016

A bird colonel at 30, he became the youngest major general in the Army in 1956.

From Time Magazine Archive

Three minutes later, while Thorn was busily pouring himself a second helping of Five-Star Hennessy, Captain Lacey returned to the table with an army officer wearing the insignia of a bird colonel.

From With No Strings Attached by Schelling, George Luther

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