Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (Aus.) a derog. term for a Turkish soldier.

1915		I.A. Williams diary 27 Oct. 🌐 About midday Abdul heavily shelled our position. Little or no damage was done. The sunset tonight was most gorgeous.
1916		C.J. Dennis ‘The Singing Soldiers’ in Moods of Ginger Mick 62: ‘Strike!’ sez ’e. ‘It sounds like skitin’; but they’re singin’ while they’re fightin’; / An’ they socks it into Abdul to the toon o’ “Nancy Lee”.’.
1919		E. Dyson ‘Marshal Neigh, V.C.’ in ‘Hello, Soldier!’ 18: Little Abdul’s quite a fighter, ’n’ he mixes it with skill.
1924		(con. WWI) A.G. Pretty Gloss. of Sl. [...] in the A.I.F. 1921–1924 (rev. t/s) n.p.: abdul. Turkish Soldier, individually, and collectively. An Arabic proper name.
1930		(con. 1914–18) Brophy & Partridge Songs and Sl. of the British Soldier.

2. (US) a derog. / generic term for an Arab.

1941		A. Gurney Bluey & Curley Mar. [synd. cartoon strip] Abdul, you orta be bloomin’ well shot — loading up the poor old donk like that!!
1995		J. Sack Company C 16: We don’t want Abdul to stand up and put some rounds up Russell’s poop-chute.
2008		J. Niven Kill Your Friends (2009) 87: There’s the usual gibbering Paki at the wheel [...] He’s talking to the air. He may as well be talking to Abdul in front.