marching ordern.

1714 D. Manley Adventures of Rivella 21 The Day before their Marching Orders came; he proposed playing..at Hazard.

1743 Duke of Richmond Let. 30 Sept.–7 Oct. in Corr. Dukes Richmond & Newcastle (1984) 128 Our army is actually under marching orders.

1780 W. Heath Let. in Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1905) 7th Ser. V. 93 George Washington has put the main army under marching orders.

1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xx. 174 The Duke's in Belgium already, and we expect marching orders every day.

1878 A. G. F. Griffiths Eng. Army iii. 67 ‘Routes’, or marching orders, are issued by the Quartermaster-General's people.

1963 J. Hitrec tr. I. Andríc Bosnian Chron. xvi. 267 But the Janissaries did not submit kindly to muster and marching orders.

1856 A. Doten Jrnls. 20 June (1973) I. 291 Today is the day on which those under marching orders from the V.C. have to leave.

1879 H. James Confidence I. xii. 167 I was afraid he had given them marching orders.

1937 B. de Holthoir tr. G. Duhamel Pasquier Chron. 88 The barometer, too, nearly had its marching orders, but mother said: ‘Oh, for what it will fetch it might as well stay where it is.’

1951 Sport 16–22 Mar. 10/3 Such an exhibition on a football field is most reprehensible, and any referee would be acting in the best interests of the game as a whole if he gave them marching orders.

1974 ‘M. Innes’ Appleby's Other Story x. 79 An eye should be kept on him, to my mind. Given his marching orders, he ought to be.

1992 N.Y. Times 7 July c11/1 The director was barking out marching orders to a sweating cast whose enthusiasm..managed to triumph over the heat.

1819 W. Scott Legend of Montrose viii, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. IV. 187 In that case..you are..reduced to good marching order.

1825 G. R. Gleig Subaltern iii. 48 The division was to enter the trenches..in what is called light marching order; that is, leaving their knapsacks, blankets, &c., behind, and carrying with them only their arms and ammunition.

1837 King's Regul. Army 32 General Officers are to cause the Troops..to be frequently paraded, and exercised at least once a week in Heavy Marching Order.

1850 J. J. Hort Horse Guards 24 In many garrisons the greater part of his time thus employed is in heavy marching order.

1867 W. H. Smyth & E. Belcher Sailor's Word-bk. Marching order. A soldier fully equipped..carries from 30 to 35 lbs. In service marching order..he carries nearly 50 lbs. But heavy marching order..was yet heavier.

1888 R. Kipling Soldiers Three 77 Mulvaney was doing pack-drill—was compelled, that is to say, to walk up and down..in full marching order with rifle, bayonet, ammunition, knapsack and overcoat.

1915 C. P. Gilman Herland in Forerunner Apr. 94/1 We stocked up with nuts till we bulged like a Prussian private in marching order.

1848 A. H. Clough Let. 26 Feb. in T. Arnold N.Z. Lett. (1966) 78 I anticipate considerable trouble in getting any Constitution into Marching Order.

1918 L. E. Ruggles Navy Explained 127 If the stew is covered over with a crust..they call it stew in heavy marching order.

1960 Blackwood's Mag. July 2 The poor devil is moving house. The room behind him is heavily garrisoned by tea-chests, cases, valises, packages—all in full marching order.