lollipop man
- noun
- /ˈlɒlɪpɒp mæn/
- UK
:
señor de la paleta
- What's a 50-year-old lollipop man doing knowing fucking karate?
Examples
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He was a lollipop man.
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What was he, a Chinese lollipop man?
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You said he was a lollipop man.
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You keep bringing up fucking lollipop men!
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He was just a lollipop man.
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What's a lollipop man doing knowing fucking karate? - I'm just saying.
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The lollipop man was holding up his sign to stop traffic while the children crossed the street safely.
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Every morning, the lollipop man helps the kids get to school by directing traffic.
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The lollipop man waved to the passing cars as he ensured the children crossed the road without any danger.
Synonyms
A woman who helps children cross the road near a school while holding a stop sign
A woman who stops traffic to help children cross near a school
How Official
Surface Forms
Morphology
lollipop + man
Although both constituents are literal words a learner will know, the sense hinges on a cultural/visual metaphor (the circular stop sign that looks like a lollipop) rather than straightforward composition. This makes the relation partly inferable (man associated with a lollipop-shaped object) but not fully predictable to a B1 learner without exposure to the British practice, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
Lollipop man comes from the round stop sign he holds that looks like a big lollipop on a stick. He raises it to stop cars and let children cross, so the phrase means 'a man who helps children cross the road'.