Smokey the Bear

Noun

Smokey Bear (plural Smokey Bears)

1. A policeman, especially a highway patrol officer.
   • There are laws on the books now, and the Smokey Bears Afloat are enforcing them.1977, Live Steam - Volume 11, page 12
2. A ranger or park service employee that deals with the public.
   • The Forest Service PR campaign now in high gear. Smokey Bears all over the place, giving talks to Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber, Junior Chamber, Legion, hunters, fishermen, Grange, […]1967, The Mountaineer, page 14
3. A firefighter.
   • Having fought many fires in the States, I sure didn't envy future Smokey Bears in that terrain.1976, Gary M. Smith, Windsinger, →ISBN, page 100
4. A campaign hat.
   • There were two of them— a man and a woman wearing neat Smokey Bears.1989, J. Edward Ames, Spellcaster, →ISBN, page 160
5. (slang) An aircraft used to drop defoliants in the Vietnam War.
   • No Smokey Bears: You can't shoot something you can't see. The Air Force in Viet Nam has special teams that blast away tree leaves and other shrubbery beside canals that offer hiding places for the Viet Cong. The motto of these defoliation teams: "Only you can prevent forests."1966, The Conservationist - Volumes 21-22, page 34

See all 6 meanings of smokey bear