day-labour
Definition
- Noun:
- Work paid by the day: "day-labour" refers to manual or physical work that is compensated on a daily basis, typically for unskilled or casual labourers who are hired for short-term tasks.
Usage Examples
- (He earned money by doing manual work that was paid daily.)
- (Short-term, daily-paid work is increasingly prevalent.)
Advanced Usage
"to hire day-labour": to employ workers for a single day or short period.
- The farmer hired day-labour to help with the harvest during the peak season. (He paid workers daily for temporary assistance.)
"day-labour market": a system or location where workers seek daily-paid jobs.
- Many immigrants rely on the day-labour market for immediate income. (They find casual, day-long employment.)
Variants and Related Words
Day-labourer (n): a person who performs day-labour.
- The day-labourer arrived at the site early each morning, hoping for a full day's work. (A worker paid by the day.)
Day labour (n, alternative spelling): same meaning as "day-labour."
- Day labour is often unpredictable, with no guarantee of steady income. (Work paid daily.)
Synonyms
- Casual work: employment that is temporary and not permanent.
- Daily wage work: labour compensated on a per-day basis.
- Manual labour: physical work, often unskilled.
Phrasal Verbs
- Take on day-labour: to accept or engage in daily-paid work.
- He took on day-labour to supplement his regular salary. (He accepted temporary, daily-paid jobs.)
Related Idioms
Work for a day's pay: to perform labour for the specific compensation of one day's wages.
- She was willing to work for a day's pay, no questions asked. (She accepted daily-rate employment.)
Live hand to mouth: to survive on immediate earnings, often from day-labour.
- With only day-labour available, he lived hand to mouth. (He earned just enough for daily needs.)