sky pilot

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

sky pilot (plural sky pilots)

1. (slang) A clergyman, especially a military chaplain or padre.
   • 1925 July – 1926 May, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “(please specify the chapter number)”, in The Land of Mist (eBook no. 0601351h.html), Australia: Project Gutenberg Australia, published April 2019:

     "But we've got the laugh on our sky-pilot, for he's as puzzled as the rest of us."

   • 1946, Milton “Mezz” Mezzrow, Bernard Wolfe, “Tea Don’t Do You that Way”, in Really the Blues, New York, N.Y.: Random House, book 2 (1923–1928: Chicago, Chicago), page 88:

     Jack, I swear, I'm no sky-pilot, but a creep pad turns into a confession booth as soon as I squat in it – the chicks really run their mouths some spieling their life histories in my face.

Synonyms

• Holy Joe