graybacks
Body lice infestation
Graybacks is a term with several meanings united by the color gray.
In American Civil War usage, graybacks were Confederate soldiers, from their gray uniforms: The graybacks held the ridge until nightfall.
The word also names body lice—grayish parasites that infested soldiers on both sides.
Gray whales are sometimes called graybacks.
In nineteenth-century slang, a grayback was paper currency, particularly Confederate bills or later U.S. notes with gray-green backs.
Pest takeover situation
- nitsLice before hatching
- scalpSkin covering skull
- itchingIrritating skin sensation
- pediculosisInfestation of body lice
eggs · lice comb · insecticide · permethrin · head lice · body lice · nitpicking · lice shampoo
Southern wartime currency
- dollarsUS monetary units
- banknotesPaper currency notes
- greenbacksUS paper currency
- currencyMedium of exchange
bills · tender · depreciation · inflation · worthless · scrip · treasury · Southern
Secessionist Southern government
- rebelAuthority defier
- soldierArmed forces member
- infantryGround combat troops
- GettysburgPennsylvania battle site
Antietam · uniform · Johnny Reb · Civil War · Reconstruction · butternut · musket · regiment
Earth's vastest ocean
- migrationMovement to new territory
- Baja CaliforniaMexican Pacific peninsula
- baleenWhale's filtering bristles
- cetaceanAquatic mammal order
marine mammal · calving · lagoon · barnacles · breaching · spouting · whale watching
infestation
Pest takeover situation
pediculosis · eggs · lice comb · insecticide · permethrin · head lice · body lice · nitpicking · lice shampoo · parasite
Confederate money
Southern wartime currency
- dollarsUS monetary units
- banknotesPaper currency notes
- greenbacksUS paper currency
currency · bills · tender · depreciation · inflation · worthless · scrip · treasury · Southern · Civil War
Confederacy
Secessionist Southern government
Gettysburg · Antietam · uniform · Johnny Reb · Civil War · Reconstruction · butternut · musket · regiment · cavalry
Pacific
Earth's vastest ocean
- migrationMovement to new territory
- Baja CaliforniaMexican Pacific peninsula
- baleenWhale's filtering bristles
cetacean · marine mammal · calving · lagoon · barnacles · breaching · spouting · whale watching
graybacksbluecoats
Union military forces
Yankees · Union soldiers · abolitionists · boys in blue · Federal troops