Army or Navy
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
It was almost entirely used to get men for the Navy. Edward IU set up a Com- mission of Empressment, 1355.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Army or Navy” mean?
It was almost entirely used to get men for the Navy. Edward IU set up a Com- mission of Empressment, 1355.
Is “Army or Navy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.