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zipperhead. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
zipperhead, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
zipperhead in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
zipperhead you have here. The definition of the word
zipperhead will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
zipperhead, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From zipper + head. From the leather helmets formerly used by early Canadian armoured crewmen, with a pattern of stitching resembling a zipper. There is also a folk etymology referring to the zippers on armoured-vehicle crew suits (repurposed flight suits).
Noun
zipperhead (plural zipperheads)
- (Canada, military slang) A soldier in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps or in the Armoured Crewman military trade.
Synonyms
References
- Edward C. Russell (1980), Customs and Traditions of the Canadian Armed Forces, Deneau and Greenberg, Department of National Defence, →ISBN, p 65.
Etymology 2
1960s–1970s, zipper + head. Used by soldiers during the Korean and Vietnam Wars; multiple hypotheses exist as to the specific origin. One is that if an East Asian person were shot in the middle of the forehead with a machine gun, the head would split as if being unzipped; another, that the appearance of tire tracks on a body having been run over by a military Jeep or that of tank tracks resembled a zipper.
Noun
zipperhead (plural zipperheads)
- (US, military slang, derogatory, offensive, ethnic slur) A person of East Asian descent.
Synonyms
Further reading