temporary duty

noun

duty of limited duration performed with an organization other than the one to which a person is normally attached or assigned. Abbreviation: TDY

Origin of temporary duty

First recorded in 1940–45

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

I am here on temporary duty for a few days, and shall return home next week.
The Life of Isaac Ingalls Stevens, Volume I (of 2) | Hazard Stevens
He next accepted temporary duty at the Tower Chapel, London.
A Sketch of the Life and Labors of George Whitefield | John Charles Ryle
This is when we were—2400 hours—we were supposed to report in the temporary duty station, which was El Toro, Calif.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
I am sending General Sheridan for temporary duty whilst the enemy is being expelled from the border.
Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, Complete | Ulysses S. Grant
Therefore it was a matter of back to the shoals for temporary duty, yet of a kind that was very important.
Dave Darrin After The Mine Layers | H. Irving Hancock

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