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yardbird

[yahrd-burd]
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noun Slang.
  1. a convict or prisoner.
  2. an army recruit.
  3. a soldier confined to camp and assigned to cleaning the grounds or other menial tasks as punishment for violation of the rules.
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Origin of yardbird

1940–45, Americanism; yard2 + bird, by analogy with jailbird
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

hostage, convict, captive, detainee, culprit, offender, crook, hooligan, fugitive, gangster, hoodlum, felon, thug, mobster, lawbreaker, miscreant, wrongdoer, criminal, delinquent, tough
British Dictionary definitions for yardbird

yardbird

noun
  1. US military an inexperienced, untrained, or clumsy soldier, esp one employed on menial duties
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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 yardbird

n.

"convict," 1956, from yard (n.1) + bird (n.1), from the notion of prison yards; earlier it meant "basic trainee" (World War II armed forces slang).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper