dead soldier

American  

noun

Slang.

1. an empty beer, liquor, or wine bottle or empty beer can.

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dead soldier British  

noun

1. informal an empty beer or spirit bottle

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dead soldier Idioms  

1. Also, dead man. An empty liquor, wine, or beer bottle, as in Their trash barrel's full of dead soldiers; they must drink a lot, or That dead man sticking out of your pocket alerted the officer to the fact that you'd been drinking. Dead man has been slang for “empty bottle” since the late 1600s but has been largely replaced by dead soldier, dating from the late 1800s.

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Etymology

Origin of dead soldier

First recorded in 1915–20

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dead soldier

The government has announced the identity of one dead soldier, squad leader Huynh Van Quen who fought in 1968 and whose remains were found in Le Thi Rieng Park, according to state media.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Their son-in-law was friends with Andrii Kozyr, and though they shared a last name, he wasn’t related to the dead soldier.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 6, 2023

Jibo is a bit of a dead soldier whose commanding officers went out of business.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2023

"History will certainly preserve the names of those who tried to keep silent about the trouble, and those who tried to blame the dead soldier for everything," he wrote on Telegram.

From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2023

The grave being dug, Jenkins and the dead soldier were sorrowfully consigned by the Chaplain to their last resting-place.

From In the Van; or, The Builders by John Price-Brown

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Related Words

• glass
• jar
• jug
• urn
• vial

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