Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A bag carried over one shoulder to transport supplies, as on a hike.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A sack for oats or oatmeal.
- noun A bag used for holding the food that a soldier carries on his person, as one or more days' rations. It is usually carried by a belt slung over the shoulder.
- noun In artillery, a leather bag used to carry cartridges from the ammunition-chest to the piece in loading.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Prov. Eng. A bag for oats or oatmeal.
- noun A bag or case, usually of stout cloth, in which a soldier carries his rations when on a march; -- distinguished from
knapsack . - noun A gunner's case or bag used to carry cartridges from the ammunition chest to the piece in loading.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A small, strong
bag carried on the back or the shoulder, usually with only one strap. Originally made ofcanvas . - noun archaic oat-sack, or nose-bag for a horse.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a bag carried by a strap on your back or shoulder
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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But Clem, after looking round suspiciously among the litter of waterproofs, walking-sticks, nets, rods, and golf-clubs, took down Vin's fishing haversack from a hook on the wall.
Mrs. Miniver 1939
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All the food he had left in his haversack was a cup of cornmeal, so he drew together sticks to make a fire for cooking mush.
Cold Mountain Frazier, Charles, 1950- Cold Mountain 2003
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All the food he had left in his haversack was a cup of cornmeal, so he drew together sticks to make a fire for cooking mush.
Cold Mountain Frazier, Charles, 1950- Cold Mountain 1997
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In the haversack is a pannikin with a hinged handle that may be used as a saucepan.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 1178, June 25, 1898 Various
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All I had in my haversack was a single hard biscuit, after munching which I lay down upon the ground and fell instantly asleep.
My Lady of Doubt Randall Parrish 1890
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The cauldron had probably contained some perishable material such as grain, which had decayed and been replaced by sand from the grave fill, and the lamb chops and the bronze bowl had originally been in some kind of haversack or kit bag, along with some other perishable food perhaps bread or fruit?
Archive 2008-07-01 Carla 2008
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The cauldron had probably contained some perishable material such as grain, which had decayed and been replaced by sand from the grave fill, and the lamb chops and the bronze bowl had originally been in some kind of haversack or kit bag, along with some other perishable food perhaps bread or fruit?
Sutton Hoo Mound 17: The horse and his boy Carla 2008
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She had a kind of haversack, all bejeweled like the rest of her, and she took from it a considerable quantity of very thin transparent membrane, resembling plass.
The Golden Torc May, Julian, 1931- 1981
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The explosive was kept in a blue and red "haversack", he said.
The Times of India 2010
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The explosive was kept in a blue and red "haversack", he said. comment Note: By posting your comments here you agree to the
slumry commented on the word haversack
A small strong bag carried on one shoulder. Originally a small bags carrield by cavalry troops for horse provender. Literally, "oat bag."
July 19, 2007
uselessness commented on the word haversack
Must be the bag in which someone who has something puts the thing that he has.
July 19, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
Or just the haver's container for putting things in, even if said things aren't actually in said container.
That's what I said.
July 19, 2007
uselessness commented on the word haversack
Provided the haver has them. If the things are not had by the haver, it becomes a haven'tersack.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Are you sure you don't mean the Haver's sack? There are Have-notter's sacks, too, you know. They are filled with nots and what not.
July 19, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
Wait. What's not in a what's-notter's haversack? The haved things? Or the haven't things? Or does the haver have the things but not the haver's sack to put things in?
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Oats, I tell ya. All is oats.
July 19, 2007
uselessness commented on the word haversack
It's a struggle between the haves (havers) and the have-nots (have-notters), in which the havers have things, which are havers, also known as oats, and the have-notters have nots and what not. Of course the latter have no need for haversacks, for they have no havers. But the havers have havers, and the haversacks are put to good use.
July 19, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
So if the havers have havers and the have-nots do not, and the havers have things that the have-notters do not, and the have-notters have nots and what-not, which the havers may or may not have, then here's my question:
Do the haversacks have knots, or not?
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
I see your point, U. If the have-notters have haversacks, they are no longer have-notters. Furthermore, once the have-notters get haversacks, they will sack and pillage the havers' oats and what not. Clearly, haversacks are a danger to the class of havers and should be banned! Off with their heads!
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Well, if the Havers' sacks are tightly knotted it will take longer for the have-notters to sack the havers' oats and what not.
July 19, 2007
uselessness commented on the word haversack
Haversacks cannot sack the havers without having havers inside and a sturdy knot tied. Sack the sack knots on the have-notters' sacks, and you'll sack all the sacking of havers and lots.
July 19, 2007
slumry commented on the word haversack
Trying...to...parse...
July 19, 2007
arby commented on the word haversack
Yeah but what if they live in Hackensack?
July 20, 2007
uselessness commented on the word haversack
Hackensack lots get haversacked, lots. With double the havers, and double the knots.
July 20, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
Ohhhh, well if it's Hackensack we're talking about--why, that changes everything. We'll need to start all over again. ;-)
July 20, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word haversack
I. Cannot. Believe. I missed this one.
October 16, 2007
yarb commented on the word haversack
Maybe similar to a bag of contents.
October 16, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word haversack
But NOT to a satchel of shite.
October 17, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
Now don't get into that here, chained_bear, and mess up our nice haversack page!
Hmph.
October 17, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word haversack
I couldn't possibly add to this glorious mess of yours. I'm just here to watch the fireworks.
October 17, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
Aw, just kidding. Pack up your troubles in your haversack, have a knot, and go to Hackensack. You'll feel better. :-)
October 17, 2007
arby commented on the word haversack
Isn't there a town called Haversack in PA? Or am I completely insane? (Those two are not mutually exclusive, BTW.)
Bartleby sez:
(from E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.)
Strictly speaking is a bag to carry oats in. (See HAVER-CAKES.) It now means a soldier’s ration-bag slung from the shoulder; a gunner’s leather-case for carrying charges.
October 17, 2007
chained_bear commented on the word haversack
Actually, that usage for a gunner's bag is obsolete. I just made a few phone calls (I love it that I know whom to call with weird questions like this), and found out 1) the artillery charges are usually kept in a box, called a limber-box, and 2) when in a bag, it's just called an artillery bag. That's for the big cartridges, for the cannon--not for the priming charges, which are still kept in a cartridge box.
Oh shit. I ruined the haversack conversation!! Aaagh!
October 17, 2007
uselessness commented on the word haversack
It's okay. The haversack page is a happenstance stage, where the topic can slack and the jokes fall off track.
October 17, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
True. And not only can the topic slack, but it can take another tack into a discussion of sacks. Or slacks. And the comments start to stack once the Wordies come back.
October 17, 2007
trivet commented on the word haversack
Erlack!
October 18, 2007
seanahan commented on the word haversack
Speaking of calling people with strange questions, I got an unexpected call late one night asking me if I knew anything about the vowels in English changing over time and I launched into a 10 minute explanation of the Great English Vowel Shift.
October 18, 2007
uselessness commented on the word haversack
The what? Don't hint at such marvels, my boy, unless you're prepared to expound upon the reference.
October 18, 2007
reesetee commented on the word haversack
You'll love it, uselessness. It's fascinating stuff.
October 18, 2007