night watchman
Noun: A night watchman is a person employed to guard a building, property, or area during the night hours. Their duties typically involve patrolling, checking for security breaches, and ensuring safety until morning.
The term is used to specify a security role defined by its nighttime schedule. It is a compound noun where "night" modifies the type of "watchman."
Examples: * The museum hires a night watchman to patrol the galleries after closing. * Before modern alarm systems, factories often relied on a night watchman for security. * He worked as a night watchman at the office building for twenty years.
- Figurative Use: In sports, particularly cricket, a night watchman is a lower-order batsman sent in to play near the end of a day's play to protect a more skilled batsman from having to bat until the next day.
- Example: The captain sent in the bowler as a night watchman to see out the final overs.
- Watchman (n): The general term for a person employed to look after an empty building or area. A night watchman is a specific type of watchman.
- Security guard (n): A more modern and general term for a person employed to protect property; may work day or night shifts.
- Night guard (n): A near-synonymous phrase for a night watchman.
- Security guard (night shift)
- Night guard
- Patrolman (nocturnal)
The core meaning relates to a nocturnal security role. The cricketing term is a specialized metaphorical extension of this concept, where the player "guards" or "protects" the team's wicket (and key players) through a dangerous period (the end of the day's play).
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a watchman who works during the night
