man-dress

n. among English-speaking troops stationed in Iraq, the dishdasha (also dishdash or thobe), a long robe-like garment commonly worn by men in Arab countries. It is similar to a jellaba without a hood. Subjects: English, Iraq, Military, Slang

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Citations: 2003 David Wood @ Baghdad, Iraq San Diego Union-Tribune (California) (July 3) “Days Deprived And On Edge” p. A1: The Kia driver, a fierce-looking Iraqi in a head scarf and what the troops call a “man dress,” glares at Mears and honks defiantly. 2004 Nicholas Blanford @ Khaldiyah, Iraq Christian Science Monitor (Boston, Mass.) (Mar. 5) “Soldier one moment, peacekeeper the next” p. 6: “There’s a guy in a white man-dress,” one soldier calls out, referring to the full-length dishdash worn by Iraqi men. 2004 Jason Christoper Hartley @ Iraq Just Another Soldier (May 12): When we go into town, we take sling shots and paint balls. Fuck those kids. This one kid I hit was wearing a man-dress and was pissed, he thought I ruined it. 2005 [CJ] @ Iraq A Soldier’s Perspective (Apr. 11) “A Day of Play”: The fact that I had to dress up like an Iraqi to watch a meeting firsthand just goes to show that something’s wrong. What’s a gringo doing wearing a man-dress? Or jundee ameriki (american soldier) as they say in Arabic. 2005 Cheryl L. Reed Chicago Sun-Times (Illinois) (Dec. 18) “Gov’t seeks Arabic translators”: You can put a guy in a “man-dress”—that’s what the soldiers call it—have him grow a beard and get a tan…but unless he can make these certain Arab sounds, he’s a dead giveaway.

Posted 20 Dec 05 | Permalink | Tell a Friend