bushwhacking

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bush·whack

(bo͝osh′wăk′, -hwăk′)

v. bush·whacked, bush·whack·ing, bush·whacks

v. intr.

1. To force one's way through a forested or overgrown area where no path exists: "Often on the verge of starvation, they bushwhacked through muskeg, forded ice-cold streams and rivers ... determined to conquer a daunting land deemed impassable" (Brenda Koller).

2. To travel through or live in the woods.

3. To fight as a guerrilla in the woods.

v. tr.

To attack suddenly from a place of concealment. See Synonyms at ambush.

[Back-formation from bushwhacker.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

bushwhacking

(ˈbʊʃwækɪŋ)

a US term for bushfighting

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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Adj.

bushwhacking - lying in ambush; "bushwhacking guerrillas attacking from ambush"

concealed - hidden on any grounds for any motive; "a concealed weapon"; "a concealed compartment in his briefcase"

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References in classic literature ?

He knew somewhat about the warfare of the time -- bushwhacking around for ogres, and bull-fights in the tournament ring, and such things -- but otherwise he was empty and useless.

View in context

This was a precaution against any bushwhacking bullet from the mangroves only a hundred feet away.

View in context

Whether he was driving the tractor, designing a luxury treehouse for his granddaughters, or bushwhacking through the deep snow on his cross-country skis, Karl was never happier than when he had a long list of tasks to accomplish.

Architect Karl Fischer dead

MATT WEDEL is bushwhacking through the hinterlands of Perseus.

The True and the False Atik

Even today, some Adirondack Park areas remain relatively remote; only a few individuals have trampled through these lands, except for an occasional hunter, bushwhacking hiker, or surveyor.

AN ADIRONDACK WHERE'S WALDO? Land surveyors play detective to resolve longstanding land dispute

By summer's end, the pair hadn't found any new ant colonies in all their hiking and bushwhacking " a great sign that the eradication really worked.

A very good dog hunts very bad ants

"I grew up [in Bozeman] bushwhacking around the Montana and Norwegian mountains with my parents, constantly whimpering from fear and discomfort, but always wanting to go out again," Perkins wrote on a profile for (http://www.mysteryranch.com/ambassadors/inge-perkins) Mystery Ranch 's website.

Who Was Hayden Kennedy's Girlfriend, Inge Perkins?

But this is not unusual for me in my bushwhacking. I am often walking near the edge of apparent danger, be it from predators, getting lost, getting stranded and a host of other risks.

When the hunter becomes the hunted: taking risks in life and faith

raised the art of bushwhacking and ambush to an exact science."

"Killer" Miller

"But by letting [a GPS] do the work, two things happen: Our skill level with map and compass drops, and we change the relationship we have to the land itself." The authors also take a close look at the environmental impact of four trends: bushwhacking, growing numbers of rock climbers, the presence of dogs on trails and winter camping.

Style, decoded

The brush in this forest was so tangled and thick and the ground cover so mossy and spongy that bushwhacking was literally impossible.

Middle Earth, on Chiloe Island

Getting back to Wendell from Belchertown was a study in bushwhacking. Wendell is a tiny town with a nice little bar/restaurant called Deja Brew.