Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who carries or sets explosives.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A boy employed on ships to carry powder from the magazine to the guns.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun informal An
explosives expert . A person who sets explosives. - noun nautical The persons employed to carry
gun powder from theship 'smagazine to thegun deck during abattle ; in the 18th century Royal British and U. S. Navies, this task (also carrying water) during battles became a permanent nickname for the ship'scabin boys and apprentice seamen. - noun skiing, snowboarding, informal A
skier orsnowboarder who avidly seeks out the “powder ” (light, dry, fluffy snow).
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun someone who carries explosives (as from the magazine to the guns on board a warship)
Etymologies
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Examples
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chained_bear commented on the word powder monkey
Originally, and chiefly nautical, a boy employed to carry gunpowder from the powder magazine to the guns, esp. on board a warship. Also figurative. Now historical.
Usages:
1774 D. HENRY Hist. Acct. Voy. Eng. Navigators II. 406 "One of the lads, called powder-monkies, being heedless, a cartridge that he was carrying blew up in his hands."
1798 LADY HAMILTON Letter to Admiral Nelson, 8 Sept., "I would have been rather an English powder-monkey or a swab in that great victory than an emperor out of it."
February 14, 2007
jodi commented on the word powder monkey
US Navy Image ca 1864:
July 14, 2013