barrow boy

barrow boy

A boy or man who sells fruit, vegetables, or other comestibles from a handcart (barrow) on the streets. Primarily heard in UK. When spring arrives, you can hear the calls of barrow boys selling their goods along the avenues.
See also: barrow, boy
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • barrow
  • barrow man
  • meat and two veg
  • veg
  • cheap and cheerful
  • take a/the redeye
  • redeye
  • candy man
  • stick to ribs
  • stick to the ribs
References in periodicals archive
The room was full of cigarette smoke, ringing telephones, old typewriters and swearing boozing barrow boys. To cut out the technical stuff this was not for me.
Joint solutions work best
The term costermonger applied to a person who sold fruit and veg in the street, and is synonomous with the barrow boys of London.There are thought to have been around 30,000 of them in the 1860s.From this community, pearly kings and queens were chosen.
A taste of Peckham's Pearly charm
Soft-spoken Ben Whishaw is unconvincing as working class barrow boy Sonny.
Brilliant Carey gets my vote; Mulligan deserves Oscar for powerful portrayal
Notorious Newcastle villain Stephen Sayers could have worked in the family business as a barrow boy had he not fallen into a life of crime.
Former Newcastle villain Stephen Sayers wanted to be a barrow boy before he fell into crime; Former career criminal Sayers would have gone into the Newcastle family business had it not been for his convictions
My grandad was born in Cannon Street and was a barrow boy so I have a soft spot for the area but often younger generations are not aware of Cannon Street.
Lost community to be remembered
The star of The Football Factory joked: "I could be a barrow boy. Or I could do the posh thing.
Danny is taking on Downton
In the case of Lord Sugar, and I fervently blame the parents, it should be noted that he left school with a few mediocre graded 'O' levels to his name, before reaching the pinnacle of his working life as a mere Barrow Boy. Of course, Lord Sugar failed to make the grade for 'A' levels, did not attend college nor university, and that has left a somewhat moribund outlook in his character.
Lord Sugar leaves a bitter taste; Views of the North
One final point is that because a few "barrow boy" journalists in 1982 chose to make disgusting statements about the sinking of the Belgrano does not mean that British people celebrated the death of enemy combatants.
Hard choices
Market operations manager Michael Finnegan, who first began work as a barrow boy back in 1961, said: "We've got 186 stalls and I'm sure there will be something for everyone of this very special day.
Market turns the clock back to 1958 prices; HAPPY HOUR: Traders celebrate 50th anniversary with 60 minutes of bargains
Virtually everyone except the most benighted are aware it was the Tories of the 1980s who reintroduced the nonsense of Malthusian economic philosophy, the technical claptrap of Milton Friedman and the barrow boy balance sheets of home growns like Patrick Minford.
Letter: Parties sold their principles
He's always been one banana short of a bunch but the penny finally drops for barrow boy Martin Fowler (James Alexandrou) when he discovers his estranged wife Sonia (Natalie Cassidy) half-naked with her best pal, naughty nurse Naomi (Petra Letang).
SOAP ROUND-UP
Prince William abseils down a rock face helping to guide a stretcher to safety; Prince William: Barrow boy
Barrow boy William on the rocks
Ask any soap fan for a health-based storyline and EastEnders' HIV barrow boy Mark Fowler will be at the top of the list.
Impact of Mark Fowler's HIV
There is Whopper, Tiddler, Rambler, Dobbin, Blazer, Barrow Boy, Scout & Picnic Midge.
What's it worth?
stall over Ben as barrow boy Peter Beale in EastEnders before he quit BBC soap
Cockney goes to Hollywood; EastEnder Ben lands X-Men film role