wave the bloody shirt

verb

To mention the fallen and wars (especially the American Civil War) in an effort to draw empathy.

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Meanings

verbwave the bloody shirt (third-person singular simple present waves the bloody shirt, present participle waving the bloody shirt, simple past and past participle waved the bloody shirt)

present singular third person waves the bloody shirt · participle present waving the bloody shirt · participle past waved the bloody shirt · past waved the bloody shirt

  1. USslanggovernmentTo mention the fallen and wars (especially the American Civil War) in an effort to draw empathy.
Cite this entry
APA

wave the bloody shirt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wave%20the%20bloody%20shirt

MLA

“wave the bloody shirt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wave%20the%20bloody%20shirt. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wave the bloody shirt,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wave%20the%20bloody%20shirt.

Source: wave the bloody shirt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.