gong scourer
nounEtymology
Compound of gong (“outhouse”) + scourer.
Definitions
One who dug out and removed human excrement from privies and cesspits.
- As you can imagine, the stench was unbearable and many gong scourers died from suffocation. When tobacco became available, many gong scourers adopted smoking, just to keep away the fumes.
- He was shocked and delighted to see the reaction of his friends and the lady they brought with them. “I am Ash, your new gong scourer at your service, my lord.” He bowed at the company before him.
- A gong scourer (also gongfermor or gong farmer) was the man or boy who dug out and removed human faeces from privies and cesspits. Gong is derived from the Old English gang, meaning ‘to go’, and referred to both a privy and its contents.
The neighborhood
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for gong scourer. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA