sheet iron
In civilian use, sheet iron is simply thin flat iron rolled into sheets — a basic industrial material.
Definitions
In civilian use, sheet iron is simply thin flat iron rolled into sheets — a basic industrial material. But in military slang, particularly among soldiers who endured it, "sheet iron" was a derogatory nickname for hardtack, the rock-hard crackers issued as field rations. The comparison was brutally apt: hardtack was notoriously nearly inedible without soaking, and soldiers joked bitterly that eating it risked breaking teeth.
After a week in the field, even the sheet iron they called rations started to seem almost edible.
Comments
sheet metal consisting of iron.
Comments
(derogatory, military slang) hardtack.
Comments
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "sheet iron".
🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "sheet iron" (S)
Browse all slang words starting with S.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- tooth duller66%
(derogatory, military slang) Hardtack.
- fighting irons66%
Military slang for a set of cutlery — the fork, knife, and spoon a soldier uses at meal times. The phrase brings some battlefield swagger to the humble act of eating, which makes sense in a world where mealtime is a brief relief from combat. Used primarily in British military contexts, it reflects the forces' tradition of giving everything — however mundane — a suitably robust nickname.
- tooth duller65%
Tooth duller is a sardonic military slang term for hardtack — the notoriously hard, dense biscuits issued to soldiers and sailors as a field ration. The nickname captures the lived experience of biting into hardtack unprepared: it could chip or blunt teeth if not soaked in liquid first. Typically used in historical military contexts and is now more of a piece of colourful period slang than active usage.