chimney-sweeper
Definition
- Noun:
- A person whose occupation is cleaning soot and debris from chimneys, typically using specialized brushes and tools. This job was historically common, especially during the era when coal was widely used for heating.
- (Historical context) Often a child or young person employed in this hazardous work, which involved climbing into narrow, soot-filled flues.
Usage Examples
- (A person who removes soot from chimneys.)
- (Historical reference to child workers in the trade.)
Advanced Usage
"chimney-sweeper's cancer": A historical term for scrotal cancer, first identified in chimney-sweepers due to prolonged exposure to soot (a known carcinogen).
- The link between chimney-sweepers and scrotal cancer was one of the first recognized occupational diseases. (Medical condition associated with the trade.)
"chimney-sweeper's brush": A tool with stiff bristles used to dislodge soot from chimney walls.
- He used a long-handled chimney-sweeper's brush to reach the top of the flue. (Specialized equipment.)
Variants and Related Words
Chimney sweep (n): A shorter, more common synonym for "chimney-sweeper."
- The chimney sweep wore a top hat and carried a brush. (Same occupation, alternative term.)
Sweep (n): A colloquial abbreviation for chimney-sweeper.
- The old sweep had been in the trade for forty years. (Informal term.)
Synonyms
- Chimney sweep: The most common modern term for the same occupation.
- Flue cleaner: A more general term for someone who cleans ventilation ducts.
Related Idioms
"As black as a chimney-sweeper": An old simile describing something very dirty or sooty.
- After fixing the furnace, his hands were as black as a chimney-sweeper's. (Extremely dirty, like a soot-covered worker.)
"Luck of the chimney-sweeper": A folk belief that meeting a chimney-sweeper brings good luck, especially in some European traditions.
- She touched the chimney-sweeper's brush for good fortune on her wedding day. (Superstition about the trade.)