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Glite Dictionary
🚧 A road worker 🚗 A travelling salesman 🧢 A streetwise youth
roadman

roadman

9.9
A young man from city streets who wears casual clothes and uses slang
  • noun
  • /ˈrəʊd.mən/
  • Slang
translation icon : chaval
  • That roadman knows all the best spots in the city.

Examples

  • The roadman wore a bright tracksuit and a cap.

  • Several roadmen gathered on the corner, talking loudly and nodding to each other.

  • A roadman explained the slang used by youths on the bus.

  • At the market, a young roadman wore a puffer jacket and expensive trainers.

  • The young roadman showed off his unique style with colorful sneakers and a trendy jacket.

  • Many urban areas have roadmen who are well-known for their slang and street knowledge.

  • Dressed in hoodies and caps, the group of roadmen gathered on the corner, chatting and laughing.

Synonyms

streeter
vsroadman
  • US
9.8

A person who spends a lot of time on the street talking with others

is a young urban figure defined by slang, clothing, and streetwise attitude

Surface Forms

roadman singular
roadmen plural

Morphology

roadman = road + man (semi-transparent) = road + man

The compound structure 'road' + 'man' is clear, but the slang meaning ('young urban streetwise man') is a sociolectal/metaphorical extension not fully predictable from the components.

Etymology

The word roadman is also road + man used in British slang to mean a young man 'of the road' or street. It paints the image of someone who spends time on the streets and knows the street life, which is why today roadman can mean a streetwise young man with a particular style and slang.