day-labourer
Definition
- Noun:
- A worker hired by the day: A "day-labourer" is a person who is employed and paid on a daily basis, typically for manual or unskilled work, rather than receiving a fixed salary or long-term contract.
Usage Examples
- (Workers paid daily for manual tasks.)
- (Individuals seeking casual, daily employment.)
- (A person doing seasonal agricultural work paid by the day.)
Advanced Usage
"To work as a day-labourer": to perform temporary or casual work for daily wages.
- After losing his office job, he started working as a day-labourer to make ends meet. (He took on daily manual work to earn money.)
"The life of a day-labourer": the precarious and unstable existence of someone who depends on daily employment.
- The life of a day-labourer is often marked by uncertainty and low income. (The daily worker faces unpredictable work and earnings.)
Variants and Related Words
- Day-labour (n): work that is paid by the day.
- Day-labour is common in agriculture and construction. (Work compensated daily.)
- Day-labouring (adj): relating to or characteristic of a day-labourer.
- The day-labouring community struggles with job insecurity. (The group of daily workers.)
Synonyms
- Casual worker: a person employed on a temporary or irregular basis.
- Daily wage earner: someone who earns wages for each day worked.
- Temporary worker: an employee hired for a short period.
Idioms and Fixed Expressions
"A day's work for a day's pay": a phrase reflecting the principle that a day-labourer is compensated only for the exact time worked.
- He believes in a day's work for a day's pay, so he never asks for overtime. (He accepts only payment for hours actually worked.)
"Hired by the day": employed on a daily basis without a long-term commitment.
- The farm hands were hired by the day during the busy season. (They were temporary daily workers.)
Related Terms
- Labourer (n): a person doing unskilled manual work.
- Journeyman (n): a skilled worker who is employed by others, often by the day, but in a trade.