buck private

noun

plural buck privates

US, informal

: a private in the U.S. Army or Marines

—used to stress that a private has the lowest rank in the military

Born in 1921, [author James] Jones turned to writing after an unhappy childhood and a checkered career in World War II, during which he was twice decorated for bravery but also twice demoted to buck private.

—Mark P. Parillo

Word History

First Known Use

1882, in the meaning defined above