Swear Like a Trooper, and Do Not Confuse It With Troupe
A trooper is a soldier or a state police officer. Troop and troupe sound identical and mean different things.
A trooper is a cavalry soldier, or in America a state police officer. Two things to keep straight. *Swear like a trooper* records the reputation of soldiers' language, not troupers' — and a *trouper* with a u is a member of a theatrical troupe, praised for reliability. A *real trouper* keeps going; a trooper swears.
- A soldier, especially cavalry. *A cavalry trooper.*
- A state police officer (American). *A state trooper.*
- Trouper — a reliable performer. *She is a real trouper.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | trooper | A young trooper. |
| Plural | troopers | State troopers. |
| Related | troop | A troop of cavalry. |
| Related | troupe | A dance troupe. |
| Related | trouper | An old trouper. |
How it is used in a sentence
- A state trooper pulled them over.American policing.
- He swears like a trooper.Soldiers, not actors.
- She is a real trouper.A performer who carries on regardless.
Troop or troupe?
- Troop — a body of soldiers, or a group of scouts
- Troops — soldiers generally
- Troupe — a company of performers
- Trouper — a member of one, hence a dependable person
- Trooper — a soldier or a police officer
From French *troupe*, a band or company, of Germanic origin. English borrowed it twice: once for soldiers and once, later, for performers.
Trooper or trouper?
A trouper with a u is a dependable performer. A trooper is a soldier. The compliment is usually meant to be trouper.
Where does *swear like a trooper* come from?
From the reputation of cavalry soldiers for strong language, recorded from the eighteenth century.