roadman
/'roudmən/
Definition
- Noun:
- A laborer employed to maintain or repair roads: A "roadman" is a worker whose job involves the construction, maintenance, or repair of public roads.
- A traveling salesman: A "roadman" can also refer to a commercial traveler or sales representative who visits customers across a region.
Usage Examples
- Noun (laborer):
- The council hired a new roadman to fix the potholes on our street.
- A roadman was directing traffic around the construction site.
- Noun (traveling salesman):
- My grandfather was a roadman who sold textiles to shops across the county.
- The company's roadman visits all the pharmacies in this territory.
Advanced Usage
- "Roadman" in British slang (informal, modern usage): In contemporary UK youth culture, particularly in London and other urban areas, "roadman" has evolved to describe a young man, often from an urban environment, who is deeply embedded in street culture. This connotation is distinct from the traditional definitions above and is highly context-dependent.
- He dresses and talks like a typical roadman from ends. (Note: 'ends' is slang for one's local area or neighborhood.)
Variants and Related Words
- Roadwork (n): The process of building or repairing roads.
- The roadwork caused significant delays.
- Road crew (n): A group of workers responsible for road maintenance.
- The road crew worked through the night.
- Traveling salesman (n): A more common modern term for a commercial traveler.
- He worked for years as a traveling salesman.
Synonyms
- Laborer (for the maintenance worker): workman, maintenance worker, navvy (UK).
- Commercial traveler (for the salesman): traveling sales representative, sales rep, itinerant salesman.
Related Phrases
- On the road: Traveling, especially as part of one's job.
- As a roadman, he spent most of his week on the road.
Important Note on Meaning
The word "roadman" has two established traditional meanings. However, learners should be aware that in informal British English, it has acquired a very different, slang meaning related to a specific subculture. The intended meaning is entirely dependent on context. In formal or historical writing, the traditional definitions apply.
Noun
-
a workman who is employed to repair roads
-
a salesman who travels to call on customers
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