pickup mann.
/ˈpɪkʌp man/, U.S. /ˈpɪkəp ˌmæn/ 1. slang. A thief, esp. of luggage. Cf. pickup n. 1. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > taking > stealing or theft > thief > [noun] > of luggage
peterman1812
pickup man1928
pickup merchant1938
1928 Detective Fiction Weekly 8 Sept. 564/2 (heading) International crooks I have known; No. 6—‘Gentleman George’, pick-up man.
2. Originally and chiefly U.S. At a rodeo: a person who takes the horse out of the arena once it has thrown its rider.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > equestrian sports except racing > rodeo > [noun] > participants
bull rider1829
bull-dogger1907
steer roper1910
steer wrestler1910
header1927
heeler1927
pickup man1930
1930 Soda Springs (Idaho) Chieftain 17 July The afternoon program will start off with a Grand Entry headed by four bands, rodeo performers, pick up men and the Rodeo Committee.
1961 Times 14 Nov. 12/7 From the moment that he leaves the chute, the cowboy must remain in the saddle for 10 seconds. Then, on a whistle signal, two mounted ‘pick-up’ men converge on the buckhorse and the cowboy dismounts as best he can.
1993 Western Horseman Apr. 47/1 A National Finals bucking horse..is a Flying 5 stud with a nasty habit of biting pickup horses and pickup men.
3. U.S. A person who collects money on behalf of a bookmaker, a person running a numbers game, etc. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > betting > [noun] > book-making > book-maker > book-maker's assistant
penciller1879
tick-tacker1912
settler1963
pickup man1964
1964 A. Wykes Gambling iv. 92 These agents are known as ‘pickup men’ or ‘writers’; they collect and pay out on behalf of the bookmakers, who pay them 10 per cent of their net winnings.
1973 C. Himes Black on Black 244 The pickup man took his book one day, and he told Clara, ‘We should have been on the other end.’
1994 D. C. Smith in R. J. Kelly et al. Handbk. Organized Crime U.S. v. 157 Those who ran numbers banks..had to prescribe policies to the pickup men concerning ‘cut’ numbers and betting limits.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2006; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1928