I get aggravated by newscasters calling one person a troop, or saying for instance; 6 troops were killed in so and so today. I always thought a troop was a collective of troopers not an individual, am I right or wrong?
Hi, CyndiLu,
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There is a discussion of this in the program/podcast Poets Laureate and Poetry Brothels - 24 Aug. 2009 at (I think - I forgot to write it down) just past the 37-minute mark.
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Peter
I used to think that "troop" meant a group of soldiers, but somewhere I picked up the idea that it was actually correct for a single soldier as well. Â Can't remember where, though. Â Let's see what I can find out... Â Well, the Online Etymology Dictionary agrees with "troop" for a group only, and doesn't mention a more recent singular sense. Â "Trooper", it says here, applied only to cavalry at first, then to mounted policemen; it didn't make the transfer to foot soldiers until the early 1900s.
Various dictionaries agree. Â Had they said down near the bottom somewhere that it's also applied to single soldiers, it wouldn't have impressed me; all that means is that the editors of those dictionaries recognize that some people use it that way. Â But the fact that that usage isn't mentioned at all is revealing. Â I think I'm gonna have to reverse my reversal and agree with you, CyndiLu.