Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who lodges at a doss-house.
  • noun Hangings of tapestry or carpet-work, sometimes richly embroidered with silks and with gold and silver, formerly placed round the walls of a hall, or at the east end, and sometimes the sides, of the chancel of a church.
  • noun Same as dorse, 2.
  • noun Same as dorser, 2.
  • noun In heraldry, same as water-budget.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A pannier, or basket.
  • noun A hanging tapestry; a dorsal.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun UK, Ireland Someone who dosses, someone known for avoiding work.
  • noun UK, Ireland A basket.
  • noun A homeless and jobless person.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun someone who sleeps in any convenient place

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • I have used inappropriate words through my radio coms i.e. inbred, dick, dosser etc.

    Bigotgate – the Diversity Trainers nightmare. « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2010

  • I have used inappropriate words through my radio coms i.e. inbred, dick, dosser etc.

    Bigotgate – the Diversity Trainers nightmare. « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2010

  • Darling posed in front of the irrelevant SLAM beds waffling about this, “free floating number”, avoiding the dosser hovels they stuff heroes into, the family accommodation.

    Drowning In Lies Newmania 2007

  • Darling posed in front of the irrelevant SLAM beds waffling about this, “free floating number”, avoiding the dosser hovels they stuff heroes into, the family accommodation.

    Archive 2007-10-07 Newmania 2007

  • From a no-hope dosser from a poor area of England's north east I learnt that no matter where you came from or what had happened to you the future was yours to grasp and shape.

    On Thursday, the Legg report will be published along with... 2008

  • A bitch and a slag apparently, because I was laughing with Kate so she thought I was going to be a bit of a dosser and was probably laughing at her.

    The Art of the Chocolatier onlyemma 2006

  • What would people think if they saw him rummaging through rubbish like some old dosser?

    Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine 2003

  • A happy dosser was nosing along the lane and Mr. Mack watched with lenient disdain.

    At Swim, Two Boys Jamie O’Neill 2002

  • When he came to the street Mr. Mack touched a finger to his hat, but the happy dosser paid him no regard.

    At Swim, Two Boys Jamie O’Neill 2002

  • A happy dosser was nosing along the lane and Mr. Mack watched with lenient disdain.

    At Swim, Two Boys Jamie O’Neill 2002

Comments

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  • British slang - "Noun. 1. A person who sleeps rough, a homeless person. Derog. 2. A person who lives by exerting the least amount of personal effort. Derog."

    - peevish.co.uk

    September 18, 2008

  • From the verb doss.

    September 18, 2008

  • JM wonders why dosser crafters are so hard to find these days when there seems to be so many around.

    August 29, 2010