Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who travels about selling wares for a living.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun One who travels about selling small wares, which he carries with him; a traveling chapman; a hawker.
- noun In entomology, the larva of any one of the tortoise-beetles.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun One who peddles; a traveling trader; one who travels about, retailing small wares; a hawker.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun An
itinerant seller of smallgoods ; ahawker . - noun A
dealer inillegal drugs .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)
- noun an unlicensed dealer in illegal drugs
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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"Motkeh, the fish-peddler, is looking for a wife to cook him his eating and take care on his children," she was saying in her shrill, grating voice.
Hungry Hearts 1920
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By the way Lance, I applaud your use of alliteration and assonance; "Teutonic turd peddler" is so much more poetic than "German shit merchant."
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
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In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler."
Adam Foldes: 'Spinster'? What About 'Peddler'? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment Adam Foldes 2011
frogapplause commented on the word peddler
"We have enough names and descriptions for women's behavior or relationship status. However, a great disparity exists in the available characterizations for men. Now that all people are slowly being allowed to marry, regardless of sexuality, the timing seems important to introduce an equal playing field -- a counterpart -- for the linguistic application of "spinster" to women. For men, "bachelor" is far too celebratory in its connotation. Therefore, we should begin to embrace, employ, and apply a word more suitable for men, one that is less forgiving than "bachelor" and at least balances "spinster": so what is dished out to the Goose can be dished out to the Gander.
In that, I propose an extension to the definition of "peddler." "Peddler" originates in an era and period of history close to that of "spinster" and similarly evokes a lonely, isolated profession ever less common in contemporary times. It also captures a stereotypical male tendency toward clandestine mobility in their commitments. It can also deliver the same sort of twisted and cloaked jab as does "spinster," both words benign until applied within a cultural context. The male populace can surely benefit from learning what it feels like to have other people use this type of term to describe or scrutinize their relationship status; one that may or may not be what it appears, or why it appears, to be so."
~Adam Foldes, 'Spinster'? What About Peddler;? A Gender Inequality in Terms of Commitment, Huffington Post, December 11, 2011. link
February 15, 2013
alexz commented on the word peddler
Well, there's 'confirmed bachelors', but that is now slang for a gay man, and when a man was awarded 170,000 dollars after separating from a woman 20 years his senior, he was labelled 'con man'.
I'd prefer it if 'Clooney' was adopted as a word to describe a single older bachelor.
February 15, 2013
bilby commented on the word peddler
Leave peddler alone. I hate word engineers. Double hate those who background their laughablisms with ridiculous generalisations overladled with a dollop of sheer nastiness.
February 15, 2013
ruzuzu commented on the word peddler
I remember something from one of those brown-eye/blue-eye documentaries where one of the people in power was saying he didn't want to let the other group have power because "then they'll do the same thing to us." I don't think coming up with a new way to new group helps anyone. Not that the brown-eye/blue-eye thing wasn't without flaws, of course.
February 17, 2013
hernesheir commented on the word peddler
The discussion thread below brings the terms despecificate and adsignification to mind.
February 17, 2013