Definition of "ramrod" [ram•rod]

• A rod used to force the charge into a muzzleloading firearm. (noun)
• A rod used to clean the barrel of a firearm. (noun)
• A harshly demanding overseer; a disciplinarian. (noun)
• To exert strict control over; supervise closely. (verb-transitive)
• To force passage or acceptance of: a group that ramrodded the bill through Congress. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "A steel ramrod from a musket is a wild whipping thing, and Phil is right -- it kicks like a bronco."
• "I've read that "back in the day" when muzzleloaders were used in battle, shooting the ramrod was the last resort when out of ammo."
• "From this the parts descend gradually to a little wire called the ramrod-spring-wire, the value of which is only one mill."