swagger stick

The ruthless military officer with the monocle and the swagger stick who sends his men to senseless death and/or turns traitor.

He led us through fields and forests, used his ever-present swagger stick to note the placement and movement of forces, and gathered his charges around him to deliver forceful and vivid descriptions of a battle.

He shaved and showered quickly, then put on his most faded and beloved fatigues, pulled his swagger stick from a top drawer, laced up his combat boots, and strode toward Ben’s room.

“If you go look at history, you’ll see swagger sticks,” said Mr. Pompeo, sitting in an armchair beneath a painting of the military school in his office.

But in many ways, the fact that Gen. Sharif was bowing out on time — and will pass his bamboo swagger stick to Bajwa in a formal military ceremony on Wednesday — mattered even more.