lobster-backed

1 9.9

A rude old name for British soldiers in bright red coats during the American Revolution

adjective
/ˈlɑːbstər bækd/

Slur

: de casaca roja (despectivo)

The colonial rebels referred to the British troops as lobster-backed invaders because of their uniforms.

Examples

Patriots jeered at the lobster-backed regiments as they advanced into Boston.
Several lobster-backed soldiers marched through the streets, their red coats bright against the gray morning.
The lobster-backed soldiers marched through the streets of Boston.
During the war, many lobster-backed troops faced fierce resistance.
The colonial rebels pointed and shouted at the lobster-backed soldiers patrolling the streets.
As the lobster-backed regiments approached, the tension in the air grew thick among the civilians.
The term lobster-backed was used derisively by the American colonists to mock British soldiers in their red coats.

Synonyms

red-coated

vslobster-backed

1 9.2

British soldiers during the American Revolutionary War who wore red military coats

is a historical derogatory label used for those same soldiers rather than neutral description

Surface Forms

lobster-backed positive

Morphology

lobster-backed = lobster + back (semi-transparent) = lobster + back + ed

The components 'lobster' and 'back(ed)' are recognizable and suggest 'having a back like a lobster' (i.e., red-backed), but the specific historical/derogatory sense referring to red-coated British soldiers is idiomatic and requires cultural knowledge.

Etymology

The word lobster-backed comes from American colonists who compared British soldiers' bright red coats to a lobster's shell, and the part backed means 'having a back'. So the phrase was a rude name for the British troops who wore red coats during the American Revolution.