ramrod

[ ram-rod ]

/ ˈræmˌrɒd /

a rod for ramming down the charge of a muzzleloading firearm.

a cleaning rod for the barrel of a firearm.

a strict disciplinarian; martinet.

to exert discipline and authority on.

to strike or injure with or as if with a ramrod.

to accomplish or put into action by force, intimidation, etc.: to ramrod a bill through Congress.

Origin of ramrod

First recorded in 1750–60; ram¹ + rod

Firkin hoops, or hickory withs, about as large as the ramrod of a rifle, will answer the purpose very well.

Croquet |Anonymous
Besides the ramrod belonging to the gun, the Indians always carry another long ramrod in their hands, which they generally use.

Early Western Travels, 1748-1846, v. 23 |Various
He straightened his thin, lean figure until he stood as stiff as a ramrod.

Before the Dawn |Joseph Alexander Altsheler
I put on a cap and fired at a man only a few feet away with my ramrod still in my gun.

Personal Recollections of the Civil War |James Madison Stone

That involves four or five men, lifting a kind of ramrod with a square hammer-end, from the rack, and lugging it to the cooler.

Steel |Charles Rumford Walker

ramrod

/ (ˈræmˌrɒd) /

a rod for cleaning the barrel of a rifle or other small firearms

a rod for ramming in the charge of a muzzle-loading firearm