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bloody shirt

noun
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Definition of bloody shirt

: something intended to stir up or revive partisan animosity —usually used in the phrase wave the bloody shirt

Examples of bloody shirt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Democrats will wave the draft ethics rule, if it is adopted, as a bloody shirt against judicial nominees who have belonged to the Federalist Society. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "More Judicial Political Mischief," 23 Jan. 2020 Investigators said a bloody shirt and towel were recovered from the scene. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "Charges upgraded against man in death of his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son," 6 Sep. 2019 Now remember, the defense suggested that tossing this bloody shirt may have caused some of the blood spatter in the bedroom. — CBS News, "Accident or murder? Investigating the death of Leslie Neulander," 16 Nov. 2019 Investigators said a bloody shirt and towel were recovered from the scene. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "Charges upgraded against man in death of his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son," 6 Sep. 2019 Investigators said a bloody shirt and towel were recovered from the scene. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "Charges upgraded against man in death of his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son," 6 Sep. 2019 Investigators said a bloody shirt and towel were recovered from the scene. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "Charges upgraded against man in death of his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son," 6 Sep. 2019 Investigators said a bloody shirt and towel were recovered from the scene. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "Charges upgraded against man in death of his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son," 6 Sep. 2019 Investigators said a bloody shirt and towel were recovered from the scene. — Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, "Charges upgraded against man in death of his girlfriend’s 1-year-old son," 6 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bloody shirt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of bloody shirt

1670, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for bloody shirt

Time Traveler

The first known use of bloody shirt was in 1670

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Statistics for bloody shirt

Last Updated

3 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Bloody shirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloody%20shirt. Accessed 20 Feb. 2020.

More from Merriam-Webster on bloody shirt

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with bloody shirt

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bloody shirt

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