linkboy
/'liɳkbɔi/
Definition
- Noun:
- A torchbearer for hire: A linkboy was a person, typically a boy or young man, employed to carry a torch (a "link") to light the way for pedestrians along dark streets or paths at night.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- In 18th-century London, a wealthy gentleman might hire a linkboy to guide him safely home.
- The novel's scene was set in a foggy alley, illuminated only by the flame of the linkboy's torch.
Advanced Usage
- The term is historical and is primarily used in contexts describing pre-modern eras, especially the 17th to 19th centuries, before the widespread use of gas or electric street lighting.
- It can be used metaphorically to describe someone or something that provides illumination or guidance in a dark or confusing situation.
- In the complex legal case, the old precedent served as a linkboy for the judges.
Variants and Related Words
- Link (noun): The torch itself, typically made of tow and pitch, carried by a linkboy.
- Linkman (noun): A synonym for linkboy, though sometimes implying an adult attendant.
Synonyms
- Torchbearer: A person who carries a torch.
- Flame-bearer: A poetic term for one who carries a light.
Related Phrases
- To carry a torch for someone: This modern idiom means to have enduring, often unrequited, feelings of love for someone. It is distantly related through the shared concept of carrying a light, but its meaning is entirely different from the historical job of a linkboy.
Noun
-
(formerly) an attendant hired to carry a torch for pedestrians in dark streets
