kippers

Noun

kipper (plural kippers)

1. A split, salted and smoked herring or salmon.
2. A male salmon after spawning.
3. (RAF World War II code name) A patrol to protect fishing boats in the Irish and North Seas against attack from the air.
   • Kipper, I discovered, was airman's slang for a fishing boat. The chief function of this particular station was the escorting of convoys and fishing fleets, and the section which had the latter duty to perform was known as the ‘Kipper Patrol’.1941, L. Walmsley, Fishermen at War
4. (UK, slang) A torpedo.
   • As she was only crawling along I aimed my first ‘kipper’ just a fraction ahead of her bows.1953, Mars Unbroken
5. (Australia, slang) An Englishman who has moved to Australia.
   • 1 Kipper, Englishman1946, R. Rivett, Behind Bamboo 397
6. (Australia) A young Aboriginal man who has been initiated into to the rights of manhood.
   • With these weapons the natives invest their young men at the age of from fourteen to sixteen years... These young men are then called kippers, and for the first time enjoy the privilege of taking an active part in the fight.1841, C. Eipper, German Mission to Aborigines

See all 24 meanings of kipper