soldier different meanings

[ostap77]

Is "soldier" frequently used as a verb?

1)"He had been soldiering for two years when the war in Vietnam broke out."

OR

2)"Stop soldiering. You are not in the Military."

OR

3)"It was almost impossible to acomplish, but he soldiered on to the end."

OR

4)"I can't put up with it. He has been soldiering all the time. I'll tell the boss on him."

 

[bhaisahab]

Is "soldier" frequently used as a verb?

"He had been soldiering for two years when the war in Vietnam broke out." OK.

OR

"Stop soldiering. You are not in the Military." Not OK.

OR

"It was almost impossible to accomplish, but he soldiered on to the end." OK.

OR

"I can't put up with it. He has been soldiering all the time. I'll tell the boss on him." Not OK.

.

 

[ostap77]

.

I've looked up in a Merriam Webster's dictionary. So regarding the context in 2) and 4) it says "to behave in a soldierly maner" and "to make a pretense of working while really loafing." Did you ever hear say it?

 

[bhaisahab]

I've looked up in a Merriam Webster's dictionary. So regarding the context in 2) and 4) it says "to behave in a soldierly manner" and "to make a pretense of working while really loafing." Did you ever hear say it?

No, I've never heard that.

 

[ostap77]

No, I've never heard that.

Does it make sense to Americans?

 

[DRThomas]

No, it makes no sense to me.

To add to the confusion, I've heard the expression "dead soldier" to refer to an empty bottle of liquor.

A "trooper" is a cavalryman. Often "a good trooper" means in the USA "a hard worker, someone who is responsible, etc." It's an old expression, and I don't think you will find it often today.

 

[ostap77]

No, it makes no sense to me.

To add to the confusion, I've heard the expression "dead soldier" to refer to an empty bottle of liquor.

A "trooper" is a cavalryman. Often "a good trooper" means in the USA "a hard worker, someone who is responsible, etc." It's an old expression, and I don't think you will find it often today.

What about 4) meaning that one's been dodging his duties on the job?
Taking about number 2) someone is being too strict and demanding as if in the military?

Where do you think those guys on "the Merriam and Webster's dictionary" team got these defenitions from?

 

[Barb_D]

Soldiering on works for me -- keeps on working hard.

2 and 4 don't. I don't know where some of these come from. My favorite example is "brunet" for a male brown-haired person. It's in the dictionary, but never in my life have I heard it. (Nonetheless, the poster insisted that because it was in the dictionary, it was fine to use, despite numerous native speakers saying that doing so would sound very strange to anyone who heard it.)

 

[ostap77]

Soldiering on works for me -- keeps on working hard.

2 and 4 don't. I don't know where some of these come from. My favorite example is "brunet" for a male brown-haired person. It's in the dictionary, but never in my life have I heard it. (Nonetheless, the poster insisted that because it was in the dictionary, it was fine to use, despite numerous native speakers saying that doing so would sound very strange to anyone who heard it.)

OK 2) and 4) out of my head. What verb would you use to say that someone's been dodging his duties on the job while pretending to be working hard?

 

[Barb_D]

Shirking
Slacking
I had forgotten about "goldbricking" but I had heard that one before