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countable and uncountable, plural khakis or khakies
A dull, yellowish-brown colour, the colour of dust. quotations examples
When you've shouted "Rule Britannia", when you've sung "God Save The Queen",When you've finished killing Kruger with your mouth;Will you kindly drop a shilling in my little tambourineFor a gentleman in khaki ordered South?
1899, Rudyard Kipling, The Absent-Minded Beggar
But being the right shade of khaki or shit-brown is not enough.
1980, Bill Oddie, Bill Oddie's Little Black Bird Book, page 60
Khaki green, a dull green colour. quotations examples
The English Government for a long time has used a type of pigmented dope cover, khaki colored by iron pigments and lampblack, which is called P. C. 10.
1921, War work of the Bureau of Standards, no. 46, page 54.
At the end of World War I, the U.S. Army Air Service painted everything khaki. This khaki was practically the same as British PC10 and can be considered the basis of the later olive drab color.
2007, Yuji Matsuki, American Fighters Over Europe: Colors & Markings of USAAF Fighters in WWII, page 4, .
In these notes we have used the British rather than the US terms for colours: i.e. 'khaki' here means the drab brown - US 'olive drab' - used for woolen uniforms and 'khaki drill' for the pale yellowish tan - US 'khaki' - used for lightweight summer/tropical dress.
2010, Martin Windrow, French Foreign Legion: Infantry and Cavalry since 1945, page 52
The very loose seroual trousers were made in both sand-khaki drill, and in winter-weight khaki wool for wear with the M1946 battledress blouse.
Op. cit., page 56
A strong cloth of wool or cotton, often used for military or other uniforms. examples
(rare) A soldier wearing a khaki uniform.
(South Africa, derogatory, slang) A British person (from the colour of the uniform of British troops, originally in the Second Boer War; compare rooinek). (In this sense the plural generally is khakies.) quotations
"Frank, it's a khaki," I whisper, "keep straight on."
1902, Philip Pienaar, With Steyn And De Wet, Methuen
War and then victory raised patriotic sentiment inside Britain and brought the Colonial Secretary national popularity. Unionists were quick to milk this with a 'khaki' election in 1900 at which they won a massive landslide.
1997, Richard N. Kelly, John Cantrell, Modern British Statesmen, 1867-1945, page 90
(often in plural) Khaki clothing or uniform. quotations examples
The porter in going through the rear coach, which was almost empty, noticed one of the occupants, a muscular, soldierly man in khakies to be apparently asleep in his seat.
1915 Out West magazine
comparative more khaki, superlative most khaki
Dust-coloured; of the colour of dust. examples