gutter-man

A gutter-man sells small toys and snacks from his cart on the street corner.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who sells small items in the street: "gutter-man" refers to a street vendor or peddler who sells inexpensive goods, often from a cart or on a footpath, typically in urban areas.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The gutter-man set up his stall near the market, selling trinkets and snacks. (A street vendor offering small items.)
  • She bought a whistle from a gutter-man on the corner. (A peddler selling cheap goods on the street.)

Advanced Usage

• "gutter-man" in historical context: In 19th- and early 20th-century English, this term was used to describe itinerant traders who operated in the "gutter" (the edge of the street), often selling newspapers, matches, or other low-cost wares.
  • The gutter-man called out his wares to passersby, hoping for a sale. (A street hawker advertising his goods.)

Variants and Related Words

• Gutter (n): a channel at the edge of a street for carrying off rainwater.

  • The gutter was clogged with leaves. (The street drainage channel.)

• Gutter-snipe (n): a child who spends time on the streets, often homeless or neglected.

  • The orphan was known as a gutter-snipe by the townsfolk. (A street child.)

Synonyms

• Hawker: a person who travels about selling goods, typically advertising loudly.
• Peddler: a person who sells goods, especially small items, by traveling from place to place.

Related Idioms

• Out of the gutter: rising from a low or impoverished background.

  • He came out of the gutter to become a successful businessman. (He started from poverty and achieved success.)

• Gutter press: journalism that focuses on sensationalism and scandal.

  • The gutter press published the celebrity's private photos without permission. (Sensationalist tabloids.)