🎸 A guitar player 💼 A job cutter 🪓 A woodcutter

axeman

1 6.1

A person who plays guitar in a band

noun
/ˈæksˌmæn/

: guitarrista

As the axeman of the band, she was responsible for creating the catchy guitar riffs that made their songs popular.

Examples

A big corporation down in Texas had bought up the radio station... and their axeman, a guy named Cruett... was on his way to St. Paul to shut the thing down... and turn the theater into a parking lot.

A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
The talented axeman played a stunning solo during the concert, impressing everyone in the audience.
When the festival started, the axeman took the stage with his guitar, captivating the crowd with his skills.

Synonyms

guitarist

vsaxeman

85 2.9

A person who plays the guitar in concerts or as a job

also covers someone who uses a heavy handheld chopping tool

guitar player

vsaxeman

38 1.3

A person who plays the guitar in songs or bands

also can mean a person who uses a heavy handheld chopping tool

instrumentalist

vsaxeman

5 5.3

A person who plays a musical instrument, often as a job

is narrower here, also referring to someone who uses a heavy handheld chopping tool

strummer

vsaxeman

1 5.5

A person who plays a guitar or similar instrument by brushing the strings

is broader, also including someone who uses a heavy handheld chopping tool

axer

vsaxeman

8.0

A person who chops wood with an axe

also names a musical performer who plays in a band

How Skilled

virtuoso

12 8.0

guitarist

85 2.9

axeman

1 6.1

amateur

122 2.8

novice

46 3.4

Surface Forms

axeman singular

axemen plural

Morphology

axeman = axe + man (semi-transparent) = axe + man

The compound structure 'axe' + 'man' is clear, but the sense 'guitarist' relies on slang (axe = guitar), which is metaphorical and not obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Axeman comes from axe 'a tool for chopping' plus -man 'person', but musicians started calling a guitar an axe, so an axeman became a name for a guitar player.