[Ads-l] rukie

[Jonathan Lighter]

OED has British "rookie" from 1868, but no U.S. exx. before 1913. But
here's one now:

1892 Harper's Weekly (Oct. 8) 967: The first sergeant was an old soldier,
and he held the rukies and the men who handled a rifle like a pole to
strict account.

I'd expected this to refer to the Civil War, but it wasn't.

JL
--

"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

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