ditchdigger

[ dich-dig-er ]

/ ˈdɪtʃˌdɪg ər /

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noun

a worker whose occupation is digging ditches, especially with pick and shovel.

a person engaged in exhausting manual work, especially work that requires little or no originality.

Also called ditcher, trencher. a power excavating machine designed to remove earth in a continuous line and to a predetermined width and depth, as by means of a rotating belt equipped with scoops.

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Origin of ditchdigger

First recorded in 1895–1900; ditch + digger

OTHER WORDS FROM ditchdigger

ditchdigging, noun, adjective

How to use ditchdigger in a sentence

In straight relationships with an age gap, words like ‘gold-digger’ and ‘trophy wife’ get thrown around.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A “komitetchik par excellence,” a man of “outstanding mediocrity,” and “the grave digger of the revolution.”
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Who knew explaining how to change a tire and back out of a ditch could be so seductive?
The Golden West Up for Grabs: ‘Painted Horses’ Is the Next Great Western Novel|Wendy Smith|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You go for your gold-digger lessons, then you go get waxed and tanned.
Russia’s Gold Digger Academy|Peter Pomerantsev|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Worries about a last ditch Nazi stand in the Alps had mounted appreciably over the final year of the war.
On the Trail of Nazi Counterfeiters|Dr. Kevin C. Ruffner|September 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was encircled by a ditch, but the drawbridge was down, and the rust on its chains argued that long had it been so.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
His drill-like nose, his powerful fore-legs and big, strong feet all served to make him the fastest digger in Pleasant Valley.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
"Mother would be awfully cross if you walked through that ditch," says Judy, continuing a conversation.
Kipling Stories and Poems Every Child Should Know, Book II|Rudyard Kipling
No true worker, be he digger, or divine, blends real work with either smoking or drinking.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
He gripped Shiv's shoulder convulsively, nearly sending his own car into the ditch by so doing.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various