Author Topic: Dustmen  (Read 3208 times)

rogue_mother

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Dustmen
« on: August 11, 2016, 12:56:51 AM »
I would like to suggest that dustmen, from yesterday's 10-letter puzzle (DISMOUNTED), as well as its singular form, dustman, should be reclassified as less common. These words are not used in the United States or Canada, where garbage men, garbage collectors and trashmen are the more commonly used words for this occupation. Thanks!
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Hobbit

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2016, 04:38:16 AM »
Makes me think of that song from many moons ago "My Old Man's A Dustman" :laugh: Can't for the life of me remember who sang it ???  Have to look it up! 
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Ozzyjack

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2016, 04:53:49 AM »
I think it was Lonnie Donnegan.  The term is somewhat archaic but well known by older Aussies, probably because of the song.
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mkenuk

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2016, 09:38:48 AM »
Makes me think of that song from many moons ago "My Old Man's A Dustman" :laugh: Can't for the life of me remember who sang it ???  Have to look it up! 
I think it was Lonnie Donnegan.  .

It was indeed the 'King of Skiffle' - Lonnie Donegan. I think originally it was a nineteenth century music-hall song.

I knew the word 'dustman' of course, but in the north-east we usually called them 'binmen'. In parts of Scotland, they're known as 'bucketmen'! .

'Refuse disposal operatives' if you want to be polite.

In Dickens' 'Our Mutual Friend', Noddy Boffin is 'the Golden Dustman' - he has become very rich by picking through mounds of garbage and selling off the 'treasures' that he finds there, while in 'My Fair Lady' / 'Pygmalion' 'dustman' is the profession of Eliza's father, Alfred Doolittle.

However, the COD shows 'dustman' as 'Brit.', so RM is probably right to suggest it be downgraded, especially as it was only played by about 10% of those who took part in the dismounted game.

MK

TRex

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2016, 09:48:27 AM »
'Refuse disposal operatives' if you want to be polite.

Or 'sanitation engineer',

 ;D

Morbius

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #5 on: August 11, 2016, 10:16:02 AM »
Dustmen are affectionately known as 'garbos' in Australia.  When I was a student in the 70s, I worked as a garbo during the summer holidays.  This was before the days of wheelie bins, and we had to retrieve people's garbage from their backyards and carry it out to the truck.  It was hard, hot, dirty work, for which we were paid the princely sum of $103 a week (before tax).  One small perk was that, at Christmas time, people would leave gifts for their garbos, usually beer.  So we'd all go home on a Friday with our pay packets and a big sack of beer.   

Les303

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #6 on: August 11, 2016, 11:07:32 AM »
Hi Morbius ,

Please don't take this the wrong way but you are the last person that i ever imagined would have worked as a garbo even if only for a few weeks over the holidays.

I'll never forget that when i was getting close to leaving school with no job lined up , my older brother arranged for me to have a " ride along " with his good mate who happened to be our regular garbo.
So on the arranged morning at some ridiculously early hour i was eagerly waiting with our bin in the front yard of our house where i was picked up by the garbage truck.

I did manage to make it to the end of the block (a total of 4 houses ) at which stage i politely told Shane ( the garbo ) " i'm buggered mate , i just can't go any further & very sheepishly staggered home to the sound of some very loud laughter in the back ground.

Here's a link to an original version by Lonnie that still gives me a laugh.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODEShfdxoR0

« Last Edit: August 11, 2016, 11:19:10 AM by Les303 »

Morbius

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #7 on: August 11, 2016, 06:41:17 PM »
These days I avoid manual labour at all costs, Les.  I can't say I've ever enjoyed it, but as a much younger man I often did it to earn money. 

Hobbit

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2016, 04:34:18 AM »
Thanks Ozzyjack & MK :) Of course it was Lonnie Donnegan.  Should have remembered. :-C
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Alan W

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Re: Dustmen
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2016, 02:17:59 PM »
I can't really add much to the discussion. From now on dustman and dustmen will be rare.
Alan Walker
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