PF, noun

Forms:
Also P.F.
Origin:
Initial letters of Permanent Force.
a. A colloquial short form of Permanent Force. Also attributive b. A member of the Permanent Force.
1944 ‘Twede in Bevel’ Piet Kolonel 18They were no longer without considerable experience, and they found themselves subjected to what they felt to be the indignity of being treated as recruits by P.F. instructors of limited qualifications, whose sole claim to fame rested on their parrot-like knowledge of Pamphlet 2, Lesson 3.
1979 Uniform June 5SADF’s Pf-members [sic] are well off with pensions.
1983 W. Steenkamp in Leadership Summer 55In the late 1970s it was authoritively estimated that to raise and maintain one PF brigade would cost at least R90 million a year.
1983 Frontline Sept. 22The ‘PF’ is an eccentric creature at best, and a crude power maniac at worst: it’s incomprehensible that anyone should want to be in uniform for life!
1983 Frontline Sept. 23For the professional soldier the regiment is more important than the party...The SADF will serve the country well only to the extent to which its leaders subscribe to that ethos. It would appear that many English-speaking PFs do just that.
1988 Cape Times 27 Jan. 5The ex-PF member’s need might be less urgent in some cases, since he could qualify for a pension.
A colloquial short form of Permanent Force. Also attributive
A member of the Permanent Force.
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petty apartheid, noun phrasen. phr.PFP, nounn.
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