ragpicker

Thân thiện

A ragpicker collects old cloth from a pile of discarded items.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • An unskilled person who collects rags and other discarded items from trash cans and public dumps to earn a living. A ragpicker is someone who scavenges for reusable or recyclable materials, particularly old cloth, from waste sources.

Usage

• The word "ragpicker" is a specific term for a historical or informal occupation. It describes a person whose livelihood depends on collecting discarded materials.
• It is typically used in a literal sense to describe this type of scavenger. The tone can be neutral, descriptive, or carry connotations of poverty and informal labor.

Examples

• Noun:
  • In the 19th century, the ragpicker was a common sight in the city's alleyways.
  • The novel features a character who works as a ragpicker, sorting through the town dump.

Advanced Usage

• The term can be used metaphorically to describe someone who collects or deals in disparate, often undervalued, bits of information or things.
  • The historian acted as an intellectual ragpicker, assembling a theory from fragments of forgotten texts.

Variants and Related Words

• Rag picking (n): The act or occupation of collecting rags.
  • Rag picking was a desperate means of survival for many.
• Scavenger (n): A more general term for a person who searches for and collects discarded items.
• Junk collector (n): A person who collects scrap or junk materials.

Synonyms

• Scavenger
• Junk collector
• Waste picker (a more modern, neutral term)
• Bottle picker (specifically for collecting bottles)

Antonyms

• Supplier
• Retailer
• Manufacturer

Related Idioms or Phrases

• While there are no common idioms using "ragpicker," the concept is related to phrases about scavenging or making do with very little.
  • To live off the scraps: To survive on what others have discarded or left behind.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an unskilled person who picks up rags from trash cans and public dumps as a means of livelihood