turf

2) One's own territory

3) soil containing large proportion of structural vegetable matter, used as a surface for walking or riding horses over.

One funny case I heard through the hospital grapevine is this:
A male Alzheimer's patient in his late 80's was admitted to the hospital for kidney problems. The wife said he was a World War II veteran and therefore should be sent to the VA Hospital. The residents called the VA and made arrangements to 'turf' the patient. It went successful and another patient out of their hair on a busy night.

The next day the resident comes back, and finds the patient 'bounced' back. There's a note with him. "Nice Try. Right war, wrong side!"

After asking the wife, they found out he fought on the side of the Germans. Gee, I wonder how he got treated by the patients there.

TURF

On the turf; persons who keep running horses, or attend and bet at horse-races, are said to be on the turf.

The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.

Turf (turf), n.; pl. Turfs (#), Obs. Turves (#). [AS. turf; akin to D. turf peat, G. torf, OHG. zurba turf, Sw. & Icel. torf turf, peat, Dan. torv, Skr. darbha a kind of grass, a tuft of grass. ]

1.

That upper stratum of earth and vegetable mold which is filled with the roots of grass and other small plants, so as to adhere and form a kind of mat; sward; sod.

At his head a grass-green turf. Shak.

The Greek historian sets her in the field on a high heap of turves. Milton.

2.

Peat, especially when prepared for fuel. See Peat.

3.

Race course; horse racing; -- preceded by the.

Cowper.

Turf is often used adjectively, or to form compounds which are generally self-explaining; as, turf ashes, turf cutter or turf-cutter, turf pit or turf-pit, turf-built, turf-clad, turf-covered, etc.

Turf ant Zool., a small European ant (Formica flava) which makes small ant-hills on heaths and commons. -- Turf drain, a drain made with turf or peat. -- Turf hedge, a hedge or fence formed with turf and plants of different kinds. -- Turf house, a house or shed formed of turf, common in the northern parts of Europe. -- Turf moss a tract of turfy, mossy, or boggy land. -- Turf spade, a spade for cutting and digging turf, longer and narrower than the common spade.

© Webster 1913.

Turf, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Turfed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Turfing.]

To cover with turf or sod; as, to turf a bank, of the border of a terrace.

A. Tucker.

© Webster 1913.