bloody shirt

American  

noun

1. a bloodstained shirt used to incite a mob to vengeance.

2. any symbol used for this purpose.

---

Etymology

Origin of bloody shirt

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

When Justice Antonin Scalia, an enthusiastic originalist, used to be asked about the case, he was prone to say, “Waving the bloody shirt of Brown again, eh?”

From New York Times

Magistrate Judge John Rysanek issued the search warrant, with which investigators sought to examine a bloody shirt worn by Baldwin, all firearms and ammunition present at the scene, and any relevant video evidence that may have been recorded, The Washington Post reported.

From Fox News

A machete-style knife, bloody shirt and shoes were found in an alley a few blocks away, the Star Tribune reported.

From Seattle Times

The groups said the testing revealed DNA material from an unknown male other than Lee on the wooden club used to kill Reese and a bloody shirt that was wrapped around it.

From Washington Times

Removing him would of course make him a martyred god to his followers; his impeachment would be a bloody shirt that Republicans would wave to justify their intransigence for decades to come.

From Washington Post