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barrow boy

barrow boy

8.6
A young person who sells goods from a small handcart in a market
  • noun
  • /ˈbærəʊ bɔɪ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : vendedor ambulante
  • I don't make, I like to give the impression that I'm an East End Barrow boy, but I've got to tell you, I'm super smart.

I don't make, I like to give the impression that I'm an East End Barrow boy, but I've got to tell you, I'm super smart.

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Examples

  • But that life floor was very much filled with working class sort of Barrow boy types.

  • We're the Barrow boys.

  • I don't make, I like to give the impression that I'm an East End Barrow boy, but I've got to tell you, I'm super smart.

  • He looked down at the street, the drays clattering by, a coster shouting at a barrow boy who was stuck in his path.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The barrow boy sold fresh fruits and vegetables from his cart at the bustling market.

  • Every morning, the barrow boy pushed his cart through the village, calling out to attract customers.

  • I watched the barrow boy carefully arrange his goods, hoping to catch the attention of passersby.

Synonyms

hawker
vsbarrow boy
  • UK
4 7.4

A person who sells goods in the street or at markets

is a stationary young market seller using a handcart rather than traveling
barrow-boy
vsbarrow boy
  • Archaic
9.6

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

is a younger seller who often works in market settings
barrow-man
vsbarrow boy
  • Archaic
9.9

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

is a younger seller usually in market settings rather than an adult male
barrow-girl
vsbarrow boy
  • Archaic
9.1

A woman who sells fruit and vegetables from a small cart in a street market

is a younger seller not specifically female and often in markets
barrow-woman
vsbarrow boy
  • Archaic
9.9

A woman who sells fruit and vegetables from a small cart in a street market

is a younger seller and not limited to female vendors

Surface Forms

barrow boy singular
barrow boys plural

Morphology

barrow + boy

The meaning is a straightforward composition of 'barrow' (a hand-pushed cart) + 'boy' (a young person), yielding 'a boy who works with or sells from a barrow.' This noun–noun occupational description follows common, cross-linguistic patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reasonably infer the MWE's meaning, although some cultural/occupational nuance (market vendor) may need contextual confirmation.

Etymology

Barrow boy comes from old market life: a barrow is a small hand cart and a boy was a young seller who pushed it through the streets, so the phrase means 'a young street seller who sells goods from a handcart'.