blighty wound

9.9

A wound that sends a British soldier home from the front, often in World War I

noun

Archaic

: herida blighty

After months of fighting, he finally got a blighty wound, which meant he could go back to England.

Examples

The soldier was relieved to receive a blighty wound that ended his time at the front.
Stories from World War I often recount men hoping for a blighty wound to escape the trenches.
A blighty wound was viewed by many as a ticket safely back to England.
He received a blighty wound in the battle.
During World War I, many soldiers suffered from blighty wounds.
Many soldiers dreamed of getting a blighty wound so they could return home from the front lines.
In stories about World War I, a blighty wound is often depicted as a way to leave the battlefield.

Surface Forms

blighty wound singular

blighty wounds plural

Morphology

Blighty + wound

Although 'Blighty' literally names Britain and 'wound' means an injury, the specific sense 'a wound serious enough to send a soldier home' is a conventional, historical military usage that is not derivable from the parts. Even if a B1 learner knows both words, they would not predict the repatriation implication or the World War I connotation without prior exposure.

Etymology

Blighty wound comes from World War I soldiers who used 'Blighty' to mean Britain. A blighty wound was a real wound serious enough to get a soldier 'sent home', so the phrase means a wound that takes a soldier back to Britain.