ramrod

[ram-rod] Origin

ram·rod

[ram-rod] noun, verb, ram·rod·ded, ram·rod·ding.
noun
1.
a rod for ramming down the charge of a muzzleloading firearm.
2.
a cleaning rod for the barrel of a firearm.
3.
a strict disciplinarian; martinet.
verb (used with object)
4.
to exert discipline and authority on.
5.
to strike or injure with or as if with a ramrod.
6.
to accomplish or put into action by force, intimidation, etc.: to ramrod a bill through Congress.

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Ramrod is one of our favorite verbs.
So is lollygag. Does it mean:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
to spend time idly; loaf.

Origin:
1750–60; ram1 + rod
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
ramrod (ˈræmˌrɒd)
 
n
1.  a rod for cleaning the barrel of a rifle or other small firearms
2.  a rod for ramming in the charge of a muzzle-loading firearm

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ramrod
1797, lit. "a rod used in ramming," from ram (v.) + rod. The verb is 1948, from the noun. Used figuratively for straightness or stiffness from 1939.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary

ramrod definition


  1. tv.
    to lead something; to act as the driving force behind something. : Who is going to ramrod this project?
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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