Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

barrow boy

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.37 in modern English

Syllables: bar-row boy
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A boy or man who sells goods, especially fruits or vegetables, from a barrow; a costermonger.

British usage; Dated

noun

A financial industry worker from a working class or lower middle class family background.

British usage; Derogatory; Slang

Example Sentences

"I pointed out to him that it was impossible for him to do that ... barrow boys to take him back to Manchester."
"...at a London magistrate's court a young coster — a barrow boy — was summoned before me for selling rhubarb without a licence."
"Operation London Bridge, also from 1975, tells the story of the busy station's redevelopment. Cutting neatly from the barrow boys of Borough Market to an aerial view of Borough Market Junction, the film uses time lapse photography to show the congestion rife in the area during the morning rush hour."
"The "barrow boy" commodities trader may well have no aspirations to old-style middle class tastes."

Etymology

From barrow + boy. First use appears c. 1939. See cite below. The slang usage dates from the 1980s.

Usage

Inflected Forms

barrow boys (plural) barrow-boy (alternative)

Questions

What does barrow boy mean?: A boy or man who sells goods, especially fruits or vegetables, from a barrow; a costermonger.
Where does barrow boy come from?: From barrow + boy. First use appears c. 1939. See cite below. The slang usage dates from the 1980s.

How to pronounce barrow boy

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