dark and bloody ground
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Kentucky. So called by the Indians because of the fierce wars waged in the forests, and later so known by the whites for the same reason in their struggle against the red man.
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 “dark and bloody ground” mean?
Kentucky. So called by the Indians because of the fierce wars waged in the forests, and later so known by the whites for the same reason in their struggle against the red man.
Is “dark and bloody ground” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.