ghost soldier
n.— «There were no regular South Vietnamese Army units station in Phuoctuy, and the province grew rich on “ghost soldiers,” phony names on the military roster.» —“Battle for Datdo Tests Local Vietnamese Leadership” by Fox Butterfield in Datdo, South Vietnam New York Times June 112, 1972. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Need a slang term that can replace just about any noun? Try chumpie. If you’re from Philadelphia, you may already know this handy placeholder word. And there’s Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Manhattan, and … The Bronx — why do we add...
The word dezzick is defined in an 1875 dictionary of the Sussex dialect as “a day’s work.” This is part of a complete episode.
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