night soiln.
/ˈnʌɪt sɔɪl/, U.S. /ˈnaɪt ˌsɔɪl/ Human excrement removed (esp. at night) from cesspools, outdoor privies, etc.
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the world > life > the body > organs of excretion > excretions > faeces > [noun] > removed at night
night soil1721
the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > dirtiness > dirt > [noun] > dirt removed in cleaning > removed from privies or cesspools
gong1562
night soil1721
1721 Daily Courant 8 May 1/2 Bentley was..prosecuted for shooting Night Soil into the Grate over the Common Sewer in the Broad-Way.
1756 in J. Fielding Extr. Penal Laws (1762) xliii. 187 If any Person shall put or cast any Night Soil out of any Cart,..he shall be committed for any Time not exceeding one Month.
1803 Mr. Somerville & Mr. Fairley in A. Hunter et al. Georgical Ess. (new ed.) II. xii. 294 Night soil is found to be an excellent manure.
1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 30 A crop of the large orange carrot, manured with night-soil.
1860 C. Reade Eighth Commandment 343 They have toiled at scurrility day by day, year by year, like vendors of night soil, not like writers.
1869 Ann. Rep. Commissioner Agric. 1868 424 in U.S. Congress. Serial Set (40th Congr., 3rd Sess.: House of Representatives Executive Doc.) XV A small portion of the field was manured with a compost of night-soil and wood-mold.
1936 M. R. Anand Coolie iv. 242 There are seven latrines downstairs for two hundred men, and there is only one sweeper to clean the night soil away.
1975 A. Ginsberg Coll. Poems (1988) 633 Merchandise Mart's compost privies supply nightsoil for Near North Side's back Gardens.
1994 R. Davies Cunning Man 89 Surely the collection of garbage, or even of night-soil, would be the fate of one who did not pass his university entrance.
Compounds
General attributive (usually with hyphen).
night-soil cart n.
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1847 Ipswich Jrnl. 4 Sept. 2/2 (advt.) Capital road waggon, 2 harvest ditto, double-breasted night soil cart.
1894 Cent. Mag. Apr. 946/2 Other expressions are used suggestive of the disposal of putrid filth by night-soil carts.
1967 O. Wynd Walk Softly ix. 145 I had to steer past a chain of night-soil carts.
1986 Monumenta Nipponica 41 92 Domestic animals occupied a thatched stable along with tools and a night-soil cart.
night-soil collector n.
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1853 Hull Packet & E. Riding Times 10 June 8/2 The night-soil collectors..had taken a piece of ground on the opposite side of the road.
1960 Spectator 19 Feb. 244 The nightsoil collectors of Lagos's slums were so thoughtless as to go on strike.
1991 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 18 July 42/1 Night-soil collectors..could have an immediate impact by ceasing their rounds.
night-soil man n.
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1844 Mechanics' Mag. 5 Oct. 235/2 This information ought not to be lost upon the night-soil men of London and other large cities, but still more should it engage the attention of the Commissioners of Sewers.
1860 N. Amer. Rev. Oct. 471 Much stress was laid on the fact that night-soil men are often hearty and vigorous.
1957 M. Banton West Afr. City viii. 158 Loko men are ridiculed by other tribes for working as night-soil men.
1983 C. Thomas Firefox Down ii. vi. 130 ‘Don't despise we night-soil men, Giles,’ Aubrey soothed.
night-soil truck n.
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1951 Winnipeg Free Press 19 Sept. 24/6 Its present [truck]..will be relegated to scavenger duties replacing the night soil truck.
1991 R. A. Schrader Kallaloo 73 The night soil truck was then in operation.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1721