| 释义 |
Piffer slang.|ˈpɪfər|
[From the initials of the name of the force + -er1.]
A member of the Punjab Frontier Force (a military unit raised in 1849 and employed esp. to police the North-West Frontier of India during British rule) or of one of the regiments that succeeded it. Also (attrib.), the force itself.
1892Pall Mall Gaz. 24 Oct. 3/1 The Punjab Frontier Force is known in India as ‘The Piffers’. 1901Blackw. Mag. June 780/1 A strong garrison of the three arms, all Piffers. Ibid. 788/2 One regiment of Piffer infantry could move anywhere in the hills. 192219th Cent. Jan. 48 The establishment of a British observation corps, similar to the ‘Piffers’ of later times. 1958O. Caroe Pathans xx. 345 For many years the Piffers served under the Panjab Lieutenant-Governor. 1970A. J. Smithers Man who Disobeyed x. 100 The Guides, the Punjab Frontier Force (Piffers), the Sikhs and the Gurkhas, would have allowed no affectations of superiority from any British regiment, household or line. |