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What is "galley-slave"

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
galley-slave

1560s, from galley (n.) in the "ship" sense + slave (n.). The ships were often rowed by slaves or convicts.

Usage examples of "galley-slave".

He knew that, guilty or innocent, a man once suspected is as ineffaceably branded as the shoulder of a galley-slave.

I have never laughed so heartily as at Don Quixote assailed by the galley-slaves whom his generosity had set free.