Trench derby was WWI British military slang for a steel helmet — specifically the iconic Brodie helmet introduced to British troops in 1915. The nickname stuck because the helmet's distinctive broad-brimmed, bowl-shaped profile vaguely resembled a derby (bowler) hat you might wear to the races, just beaten out of metal for surviving artillery barrages. It's a perfect example of how soldiers used dark humor and creative nicknames to humanize the brutal equipment of industrial warfare.
He grabbed his trench derby and ducked out of the dugout as the next round of shells screamed overhead.
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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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