barrow-boy

9.6

A man who sells fruit and vegetables from a small cart in the street

noun
/ˈbærəʊ bɔɪ/

Archaic

: vendedor ambulante

He started his working life as a barrow-boy in London, pushing his cart through the bustling streets.

Examples

The barrow-boy shouted out the day’s specials to attract customers passing by the market.
Famous for his charm, the local barrow-boy quickly sold out of apples and oranges every morning.
The barrow-boy shouted to attract customers.
A barrow-boy was selling fresh strawberries.
The barrow-boy shouted out the day’s specials to attract customers passing by the market.
He started his working life as a barrow-boy in London, pushing his cart through the bustling streets.
Famous for his charm, the local barrow-boy quickly sold out of apples and oranges every morning.

Synonyms

costermonger

vsbarrow-boy

Archaic

1 9.9

A person who sells fruit and vegetables from a cart in the street

is the British word focusing on a male seller from a handcart

coster

vsbarrow-boy

Archaic

1 8.2

A person who sells fruit and vegetables from a street stall

is narrower pointing to cart sellers rather than stall vendors

barrow-man

vsbarrow-boy

Archaic

9.9

A man who sells fruit and vegetables from a small cart in the street

is the British informal term for the same male street seller

barrow boy

vsbarrow-boy

Archaic

8.6

A young person who sells goods from a small handcart in a market

is aimed at adult male sellers rather than young or general vendors

Surface Forms

barrow-boy singular

barrow-boys plural

Morphology

barrow-boy = barrow + boy (transparent) = barrow + boy

Clear compound of 'barrow' + 'boy' meaning someone who sells from a barrow; the components map directly to the sense.

Etymology

Barrow-boy comes from barrow ('a small cart') and boy ('a young man'). It once meant a man who pushed a cart to sell fruit and vegetables in the street, so today it means a street seller who sells from a barrow, especially in Britain.