ramrod

[ram-rod]

noun

a rod for ramming down the charge of a muzzleloading firearm.

a cleaning rod for the barrel of a firearm.

a strict disciplinarian; martinet.

verb (used with object), ram·rod·ded, ram·rod·ding.

to exert discipline and authority on.

to strike or injure with or as if with a ramrod.

to accomplish or put into action by force, intimidation, etc.: to ramrod a bill through Congress.

Origin of ramrod

First recorded in 1750–60; ram¹ + rod

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ramrod

Historical Examples of ramrod

Monsieur Carmaignac was little, lean, and as straight as a ramrod.
The Room in the Dragon Volant
J. Sheridan LeFanu
He was tiny, but straight as a ramrod in his natty khaki uniform.
Sure Pop and the Safety Scouts
Roy Rutherford Bailey
"They're not loaded," said I, after trying them with the ramrod.
Graham's Magazine, Vol. XXXII No. 4, April 1848
Various
He jammed it all down with the ramrod, and I was never able to get it up again.
The Stark Munro Letters
J. Stark Munro
He was straight as a ramrod; there was self-confidence in his carriage and pride in his mien.
The Wrong Woman
Charles D. Stewart

British Dictionary definitions for ramrod

ramrod

noun

a rod for cleaning the barrel of a rifle or other small firearms

a rod for ramming in the charge of a muzzle-loading firearm

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

Word Origin and History for ramrod

1757, literally "a rod used in ramming" (the charge of a gun), from ram (v.) + rod. Used figuratively for straightness or stiffness from 1939, also figuratively for formality, primness (ramroddy is in Century Dictionary, 1902). The verb is 1948, from the noun. Related: Ramrodded; ramrodding.