coster

A coster arranges fresh apples on his wooden cart.

Definition

Noun: A "coster" is a person who sells goods (such as fruit, vegetables, or fish) from a barrow or stall in the street, typically in a market or public area. It is a shortened form of "costermonger."

Usage Examples

• (The street seller announced his prices to people walking by.)
• (The seller arranged his goods for sale at the usual location.)

Advanced Usage

• "Coster" is often used informally to describe a street trader, especially in British English, and carries a historical or colloquial tone.
  • The old coster knew all his regular customers by name. (The experienced street seller recognized his frequent buyers.)
• In literature, "coster" may appear in descriptions of working-class life in 19th- or early 20th-century London.
  • Dickens’s novels often feature costers as lively characters in the city’s streets. (Charles Dickens’s works include street sellers as vibrant figures.)

Variants and Related Words

• Costermonger (n): a full form of "coster," meaning a person who sells goods from a barrow.
  • The costermonger’s barrow was piled high with apples. (The street seller’s cart was full of apples.)
• Costerdom (n): the social class or world of costers.
  • The novel explores the rough but vibrant life of costerdom. (The book examines the community of street traders.)

Synonyms

• Hawker: a person who travels around selling goods, typically calling out to attract customers.
• Peddler: a person who sells goods, especially by traveling from place to place.
• Street vendor: a person who sells items in a public space.

Related Idioms

• "To work like a coster": to work very hard, especially in a manual or outdoor job.
  • He worked like a coster from dawn to dusk. (He labored extremely hard all day.)
• "Coster’s luck": a phrase referring to the unpredictable fortune of street traders.
  • With coster’s luck, he sold everything by noon. (By fortunate chance, he sold all his goods quickly.)

Phrasal Verbs

• "Coster out": (rare) to sell goods as a coster.
  • He costered out his fruit on the busy street. (He sold his fruit as a coster in a crowded area.)