Definition of rag-and-bone man in English:
rag-and-bone man
nounPlural rag-and-bone men
British A person who travels round an area buying old or unwanted clothes and household items in order to sell them on.
Example sentencesExamples
- Twentieth century mainstream British art has been immeasurably enriched by the paintings of the retired Cornish fisherman and rag-and-bone man, Alfred Wallis.
- One photograph reminded me of a time long ago, when I was just a child and the likes of traveling minstrels, tinkers, gypsies, rag-and-bone men et al, were the norm.
- Now virtually extinct, the rag-and-bone man was once a familiar figure trundling his cart along suburban streets with his age-old cry: ‘Any old RAG-bones!’
Definition of rag-and-bone man in US English:
rag-and-bone man
nounˌræɡ ən ˈboʊn ˌmænˌraɡ ən ˈbōn ˌman
British A person who travels around an area buying old or unwanted clothes and household items in order to sell them on.
Example sentencesExamples
- One photograph reminded me of a time long ago, when I was just a child and the likes of traveling minstrels, tinkers, gypsies, rag-and-bone men et al, were the norm.
- Now virtually extinct, the rag-and-bone man was once a familiar figure trundling his cart along suburban streets with his age-old cry: ‘Any old RAG-bones!’
- Twentieth century mainstream British art has been immeasurably enriched by the paintings of the retired Cornish fisherman and rag-and-bone man, Alfred Wallis.