grocery boy
1
2.0
- noun
- /ˈɡroʊsəri bɔɪ/
- Archaic
:
repartidor de víveres
- The grocery boy was always cheerful when he brought our groceries to the house.
Examples
-
Uh, no, I'm the grocery boy.
-
Oh, that's the grocery boy.
-
You know I keep all my change for the milkman and the grocery boy in that little cabinet.
Fiction book (2001) -
The grocery boy delivered fresh produce to our door every week.
-
After school, I often joined my neighbor, who worked as a grocery boy, making deliveries.
Synonyms
26
2.2
A young man who delivers food and packages to homes by bicycle or motorbike
17
3.2
A young person paid to do small tasks such as delivering messages and packages
6
2.3
A boy who delivers messages and does small jobs for a business
5
1.4
A person who brings packages or food to people's homes
1
2.7
A person who brings packages to homes or businesses
A woman who brings packages to people's homes or shops
A young boy who runs small errands in a hotel or house
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly inferable from the constituents: 'grocery' (items/food sold at a store) + 'boy' (a young male), forming a noun–noun compound meaning a boy associated with groceries (e.g., who delivers or works with them). This follows a common, cross-linguistic modifier–head pattern and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both words, despite minor possible role ambiguity (deliverer vs. shop worker).
Etymology
Grocery boy comes from a simple picture: a young worker (a boy) who picked up food from a small shop (a grocery) and rode a bike to bring it to people's homes. So, the phrase means 'a boy who delivers groceries'.