blue coats—
1. (coll.) the police:
- One of the blue coats would attempt to put back the crowd.
2. blue-coated seamen:
- These were blue coats—French—who were on shore for a visit.
3. (U.S. hist.) a soldier in the Federal army during the Civil War:
- Wait until the States are restored and the “Blue Coats” are out of the way.
bluecoat boys—(UK hist.) schoolboys of a charity school who wear blue coats (also: blue boys):
- The day after Christmas Day was a high day with us as Bluecoat boys. We then received our yearly new coat and cap…