# come the old soldier

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/come-the-old-soldier
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Often followed by with: to deceive, impose upon, or take advantage of someone, as if exploiting one's superior age or experience.

## Examples

- Do not try to come the old soldier with me.
- He often comes the old soldier to get out of doing difficult chores.
- He tried to come the old soldier with the new manager, pretending he knew more about the rules than he actually did.
- My grandfather loves to come the old soldier whenever I try to explain how modern technology works to him.
- The senior partner tried to come the old soldier during the meeting to stop the younger staff from suggesting new ideas.
- The seasoned clerk attempted to come the old soldier with the young trainee, hoping to manipulate the situation by feigning a depth of experience he did not possess.

## Origin

From *come*, in the sense of behaving in a specific manner or pretending to be, and *old soldier*, a term for one who has served for a long time or possesses significant experience. The idiom describes the act of leveraging one’s age or seniority to take advantage of another.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.