Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun US a
red letter A required to be worn byadulterers in 17th centuryPuritan New England
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun the letter A in red; Puritans required adulterers to wear it
Etymologies
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Examples
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bilby commented on the word scarlet letter
"Unfortunately, the problem likely goes beyond Fort Carson. Maj. Gen. Graham, the Fort Carson commander, makes noted efforts to recognize and address the problems. 'Our goal is to get in front of this,' Graham said in a telephone interview. 'Instead of doing the investigation following a suicide, to find out how this happened and how we could have prevented it, what we want to do is actually prevent them and get in front of this and figure out how you help a soldier before it gets to a point of critical mass and something horrible is going to happen,' he added. 'Are we perfect? No. Are we trying? We are. Can we do better? Of course we can.'
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And some Army fighting units, or 'line' units, stationed at Graham's post have failed to incorporate the prevention, recognition and treatment of combat stress into their wartime mission. At Fort Carson a mental problem from combat is still a scarlet letter."
- Mark Benjamin and Michael de Yoanna,The Death Dealers took my life!, salon.com, 9 Feb 2009.
February 16, 2009