RAMBO

noun Also written rambo (Lifestyle and Leisure) (War and Weaponry) A person who resembles the film character Rambo in attitudes or behaviour; specifically, either a macho male type who practises survival techniques and likes to live as a 'loner' or a person who advocates or carries out violent retribution. Etymology: An allusive use of the name of the hero of David Morrell's novel First Blood (1972), a character widely popularized by the films First Blood (1982) and Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). History and Usage: In the novel and films, the Rambo character is a Vietnam veteran who lives as a loner and is bent on violent retribution for the wrongs that he thinks society has done him. By the middle of the eighties the name Rambo was being used in a number of transferred contexts, often in derivatives such as the adjectives Ramboesque and Rambo-like, to refer to things as diverse as international diplomacy and paintball games, but which all seemed to reflect the world-view of this character. The word was used attributively as well, almost passing into an adjective meaning 'savage': any violent killing, especially when carried out by a person in combat dress, could be described as a Rambo killing, and the newspapers nicknamed Michael Ryan, who carried out the Hungerford massacre of 1987 (see survivalism), the Rambo killer. Given the bomb-'em-kill-'em suggestions pulsing from the typewriters of 100 literate Rambos, a boycott of the airport was the most reasonable act suggested. Washington Post 6 July 1985, section A, p. 19 To lawyers, as to other Americans, Ronald Reagan apparently has become the stars and stripes for ever. By his own oft-stated, Rambo-like standards, the hostage crisis was a downer. There was none of the threatened 'swift and effective retribution'. Washington Post 9 July 1985, section A, p. 2 Sensitive to charges of encouraging a new generation of Rambos, the companies organising the games insist more excitement than aggression is stimulated. Guardian 3 July 1989, p. 20 One of the first victims, World War 2 veteran Pat Surgrue, was attacked by a 2.5m 'rambo' roo [kangaroo] on his front lawn. Australasian Post 17 Feb. 1990, p. 14