roustabout
/'raustəbaut/
Definition
- Noun:
- A laborer on an oil rig or a ship: A "roustabout" is a worker who performs general, often physically demanding, manual labor, especially on ships, docks, or in the oil industry.
- An unskilled or casual laborer: More broadly, it can refer to a person who does various kinds of unskilled physical work.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- He worked as a roustabout on an offshore drilling platform.
- The circus hired several roustabouts to help set up the tents.
Advanced Usage
- The term often implies temporary, itinerant, or physically tough work. It is commonly associated with industries like maritime, oil and gas, and entertainment (e.g., carnivals, circuses).
- After college, he spent a summer as a roustabout in the oil fields.
Variants and Related Words
- Roust (verb): To stir up, rouse, or force someone out. This is the root verb from which "roustabout" is derived.
- The police officer rousted the sleeping man from the park bench.
Synonyms
- Laborer: A person doing unskilled manual work.
- Dockworker: A person who loads and unloads ships.
- Rig worker: A worker on an oil or gas rig.
- Handyman: A person skilled at various small tasks.
Related Phrases
- While "roustabout" itself is not typically used in phrasal verbs, the related verb "roust" can be.
- Roust out: To force someone to leave a place.
- The security guard rousted out the trespassers.
Related Idioms
- There are no common idioms that directly feature the word "roustabout." Its usage is typically literal, describing a type of job or worker.
Noun
-
a member of a ship's crew who performs manual labor
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