Fred Karno's army
UK/fɹɛd ˈkɑːnəʊz ɑːmiː/
Fred Karno's army proper noun: a chaotic, poorly-managed group.
Proper noun
Fred Karno's army
- A chaotic, poorly-managed group.
- Whatever any hon. Member in any part of the Committee thinks about the advisability of this Bill, they all wish the Force that eventually is created to be an efficient one and not a Fred Karno's army.1951 November 28, Anthony Head, “New Clause.—(ENROLMENT.)”, in parliamentary debates (House of Commons), volume 494, column 1656
- It was like bloody Fred Karno's army out there. They were sods. Drunk as lords. Been to a wedding party or something.1973, John Pellow, With a Little Help from My Friends, page 156
Forms of Fred Karno's army
| alternative form | Karno's army |
|---|---|
| alternative form | Fred Carno's army |
| alternative form | Carno's army |
Origin of Fred Karno's army
From the First World War marching tune "We're Fred Karno's Army", ultimately from the slapstick music hall entertainer Fred Karno.
Questions about Fred Karno's army
- What does Fred Karno's army mean?
- Fred Karno's army means a chaotic, poorly-managed group.
- What part of speech is Fred Karno's army?
- Fred Karno's army is a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce Fred Karno's army?
- Fred Karno's army is pronounced /fɹɛd ˈkɑːnəʊz ɑːmiː/ (UK).
Words near Fred Karno's army in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Fred Karno's army (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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