British military slang from World War I referring to the steel helmet worn by soldiers — the Brodie helmet or 'tin hat.' 'Tin lid' follows the same logic as 'tin hat,' playing on the shape of the helmet as a lid placed on the head. The term captures the irreverent, dark humour soldiers used to cope with harsh conditions. Outside military history contexts it is rarely used today, though it appears in WWI memoirs, letters, and fiction.
He grabbed his tin lid and rifle before scrambling out of the trench to join the advance.
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WWI British military slang for a tin hat, the steel helmet issued to soldiers. A straightforward descriptive nickname combining the material with the functional lid-like shape of the helmet. Now primarily of historical interest, appearing in accounts of WWI, military history, and period drama. Occasionally revived in British informal speech to refer to any hard hat or protective helmet. The term survives in historical memory largely because WWI looms large in Australian, British, and New Zealand national consciousness.
He grabbed his tin lid and rifle and followed the sergeant over the top without a second thought.
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(military slang, WWI) A tin hat.
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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.
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