risen from the ranks
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Said of a com- missioned officer in the army who formerly worked his way up from private soldier — from the ranks. Often called a ranker. Hence applied to a self-made man in any walk of life.
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 “risen from the ranks” mean?
Said of a com- missioned officer in the army who formerly worked his way up from private soldier — from the ranks. Often called a ranker. Hence applied to a self-made man in any walk of life.
Is “risen from the ranks” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.