bushwhacker
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈbʊʃˌwækər/
- Archaic
:
guerrillero
- During the Civil War, many soldiers became bushwhackers, engaging in unexpected attacks against Union troops.
Examples
-
In the conflict, the actions of the bushwhackers were often unpredictable and aimed at disrupting supply lines.
-
And thanks a lot for Josey Wales... ...who you changed from a murdering bushwhacker... ...on the side of Satan... ...to a better man... ...in time to deliver us from the Philistines.
-
We stopped those bushwhackers pretty good during the war.
-
We drove those bushwhackers clear out of Louisiana with their tails between their legs.
-
"After them bushwhackers." "Hell, I can't see a thing." "Follow me." Dick stepped into the darkness, and Lem had to jump after him to keep up.
Fiction book (1994) -
For example, the technique of employing explanatory text in the film's opening frames was used to introduce the central conflict between the Bushwhackers and Jayhawkers at the beginning of Lee's American Civil War drama Ride With the Devil.
Academic text (2009) -
The bushwhackers took advantage of the dense forests to launch surprise ambushes on their enemies.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Bushwhacker originally described fighters who hid in the bush 'woods' and used surprise attacks, because they would whack 'cut through' the trees to move quickly. So during the American Civil War the name was used for Confederate irregular fighters who attacked from the countryside.