yardman

noun — 3 senses

yardman

noun

/ˈjɑɹdmən/

Etymology From yard + -man.

› A worker in any of several types of yard, as:

1

A worker in a railyard.

2

UK, Historical A farm worker assigned to the farmyard of a large farm, working at hostler duties (harnessing and hitching teams), loading and unloading wagons, feeding, and so on.

  • I asked the grizzled rustic who appeared to be in sole occupation of the farm buildings, and who was, in fact, the yardman, if he knew whereabouts I should find the [hunting] party. He said something I did not understand, but I followed his pointing arm. […] The yardman, with his lantern, was helping to back ponies into traps. Motor-engines murmured. […]1930, Adrian Bell, Corduroy, Faber and Faber:
3

Canada, US A laborer hired to do outdoor work.

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.