batman
batman — noun
1. a soldier of low rank whose job is to look after the daily personal needs of a s
a soldier of low rank whose job is to look after the daily personal needs of a senior officer, such as preparing meals, cleaning a uniform, or carrying messages, used mainly in the British army and other forces with a similar tradition.
Private Hopkins served as a batman to Major Ellis at the army camp in Kent.
pattern: a batman to + [officer name/rank]
The young batman polished the colonel's boots and laid out a clean shirt before breakfast.
typical duties: cleaning uniform and boots
My grandfather worked as a batman in the British army during the 1940s.
Captain Reed asked his batman to deliver a sealed letter to headquarters before nightfall.
Private Hopkins polished Captain Reed's boots, brushed his uniform, and packed his kit before parade as the captain's batman.
- orderly
more general military term for a soldier on personal duty, used in both British and American forces
- aide
broader; can be civilian or military, and often a higher-ranking officer assisting a senior commander
- valet
civilian equivalent — a personal male servant who looks after clothes and daily needs, with no military meaning
文法句型
a batman to + [officer]
用法筆記
Almost always associated with the British armed forces and earlier periods, especially the two World Wars. The role has largely disappeared from modern armies, so the word now appears mainly in historical writing, war memoirs, and novels rather than in everyday speech.