elevator man
1
5.5
- noun
- /ˈɛlɪˌveɪtər mæn/
- Archaic
:
ascensorista
- In the beginning, she had to ask Harry, the elevator man, to help her.
- doorman and elevator man
Examples
-
Alan's father's an elevator man. - Huh?
-
"Mr. Fisher, the elevator man, of course."
Fiction book (1998) -
So he was an elevator man.
Academic text (1998) -
The elevator man gets slowly to his feet.
Fiction book (1991) -
I'm an elevator man!
-
Unlike the *rabid* dog, the elevator man made some lame attempts to flirt and went about his business like most men do.
Blog text (16) -
The elevator man, half shutting his eyes, nods to me, shrugs, and darts back to his elevator.
Fiction book (1995) -
The building had optional maid service, valet parking, and high security: a reception desk for all visitors, an elevator man in each elevator twenty-four hours a day, and a view of the ocean.
Fiction book (1990) -
Now, when you were a teenager... ...there must have been a doorman you made love to in the basement... ...or a chauffeur, a gardener, an elevator man?
-
The elevator man welcomed each passenger with a friendly smile as they entered the building.
Synonyms
3
3.9
A person who stands in an elevator and moves it for people in a large building
1
8.2
A young man who operates an elevator in a hotel or office building
1
6.9
A young woman who operates an elevator in a department store or office building
A person who operates an elevator in a public building
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a man who operates an elevator' is directly derivable from combining 'elevator' (a lifting compartment) and 'man' (an adult male); the noun-noun composition transparently denotes a person associated with the elevator. This is a literal, compositional phrase following common English compounding patterns and has clear cross-linguistic equivalents, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.
Etymology
Elevator man comes from old buildings where a man rode inside the elevator to open and close doors and push buttons for people. That's why it means 'a man whose job is to operate an elevator'.