rag-and-bone-man
Noun (countable): A "rag-and-bone-man" is a person who collects and trades unwanted household items, such as old clothes (rags), scrap metal (bones), and other discarded goods, typically going door-to-door or using a cart.
- (A collector of discarded items announcing his presence.)
- (A trader in second-hand goods.)
"Rag-and-bone-man" often evokes a historical or nostalgic figure, common in urban areas before modern waste collection and recycling services.
- In Victorian London, the rag-and-bone-man was a familiar sight in poor neighborhoods. (A collector of rags and bones for recycling.)
Figurative use: The term can be used metaphorically to describe someone who collects or deals in worthless or discarded things.
- He was a literary rag-and-bone-man, gathering forgotten stories from dusty archives. (Someone who collects seemingly useless items for a purpose.)
Rag-and-bone trade (noun phrase): the business or occupation of collecting and selling discarded items.
- The rag-and-bone trade was once a vital part of the urban economy. (The industry of recycling waste goods.)
Ragman (noun): a synonym for rag-and-bone-man, though less common.
- The ragman came every Tuesday with his horse and cart. (A collector of rags and old clothes.)
- Junk dealer: a person who buys and sells used or discarded goods.
- Scrap merchant: someone who trades in scrap metal and other recyclable materials.
"To go the way of the rag-and-bone-man": to become obsolete or outdated.
- With the rise of online marketplaces, the local junk shop went the way of the rag-and-bone-man. (Became a thing of the past.)
"Rag-and-bone-man's cart": a metaphor for a collection of miscellaneous or worthless items.
- His desk was like a rag-and-bone-man's cart, full of random papers and trinkets. (A disorganized pile of odds and ends.)