devil dog
1
7.2
- noun
- /ˈdɛvəl dɔg/
- Slang
:
perro del diablo
- Ramos, a proud veteran, proudly refers to himself as a devil dog for his service in the Marines.
Examples
-
I was a devil dog.
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- A big fucking devil dog!
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You look like a devil dog.
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No one will ever harm you as long as I'm here, my little devil dog.
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During the ceremony, the commanding officer praised the devil dogs for their bravery and sacrifice.
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As a former devil dog, he often shares stories of his time in the Marine Corps with great pride.
Synonyms
110
3.0
A soldier trained to fight on land and at sea in a special military force
15
9.9
A person who serves in the United States Marine Corps
3
8.6
A member of the United States Marine Corps
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
devil + dog
Although 'devil' + 'dog' could suggest a fierce or fearsome person, the specific meaning 'a nickname for a U.S. Marine' is culturally specific and not predictable from the literal constituents. The expression functions as an emblematic nickname/idiom tied to U.S. military culture, so a B1 learner who only knows the words would not reliably infer the intended referent.
Etymology
Devil dog comes from World War I; one popular story says German soldiers called U.S. Marines that name because they fought like fierce dogs and seemed like a devil in battle. So, devil dog is now a proud nickname for a Marine who is 'brave' and 'tough'.