by trade
16
3.9
- idiom
:
de profesión
- I was an engineer by trade.
So like, technically I'm an artist by trade, trade.
- So like, technically I'm an artist by trade, trade.
- But I'm a mechanical engineer by trade.
- Their commander, General Jean Francois Carteau, was a loyal Republican but a court painter by trade with no military training.
- I'm a particle physicist by trade and I get into all sorts of topics like the oceans, for example.
- He was a, he wasn't a rustler by trade, but he was good at, at doing those sorts of things.
- Hey, I'm a banker by trade, but I'm a Bitcoiner at heart, right?
- But yeah, Hunter, Hunter from a legal, he's he's got the legal mind because he's a he's a lawyer by trade.
- Who are your, you know, you are a linguist by trade.
Examples
-
Oh-you know, I am a chef by trade.
-
A rancher by trade, Travis looked the part in his dark jeans and cowboy boots.
Fiction book (1996) -
Before you decide that I am wrong, remember that I am an accountant by trade.
Academic text (1991) -
I'm a singer by trade.
-
My wife was a vet by trade and I used to assist her from time to time.
-
I'm actually a physician by trade.
-
I am not an electrician by trade, sir.
-
I'm actually a mining engineer by trade.
-
Father was a carpenter by trade, and he built us a sturdy home.
Fiction book (2002) -
I was an engineer by trade.
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
by + trade
The meaning 'used to indicate someone's profession' is directly inferable from combining 'trade' (an occupation) with the preposition 'by' marking role or means — i.e. 'in terms of/with respect to one's trade'. This preposition + noun composition is common and has clear cross-linguistic parallels, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will very likely understand the MWE.
Etymology
By trade comes from old towns where people were known by the work they did. People were known by their trade, for example 'John the baker', so saying someone is by trade a baker means that is their 'job' or 'profession' today.