flying wedge

noun

: a moving formation (as of guards or police) resembling a wedge

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

When the British abolitionist George Thompson spoke in Boston in 1835, an angry mob awaited him at the building’s exit—and was deflected only when Child and other women formed a flying wedge around the orator. —James Marcus, WSJ, 4 Nov. 2022

Their troops include Andrew Yang, Gretchen Whitmer, and a sodden Hunter Biden, cigarette hanging from his mouth, who show up in a flying wedge that overtakes the outnumbered Trump. —Armond White, National Review, 11 Nov. 2020

The setup pushed the tone forward — brass and woodwinds became a flying wedge, breaking through the line of the proscenium — a brawny, punchy sound that was exploited to the hilt in a brisk, brash reading of Dvorák’s op. —Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2020

Early in the 20th century, formations such as the flying wedge resulted in injuries and on-field deaths. —Theodore Kupfer, National Review, 14 Dec. 2017

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above