mudlark

American  

[muhd-lahrk] / ˈmʌdˌlɑrk /

noun

1. Chiefly British. a person who gains a livelihood by searching for iron, coal, old ropes, etc., in mud or low tide.

2. Chiefly British Informal. a street urchin.

3. either of two black and white birds, Grallina cyanoleuca, of Australia, or G. bruijni, of New Guinea, that builds a large, mud nest.

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verb (used without object)

1. to grub or play in mud.

mudlark British  

/ ˈmʌdˌlɑːk /

noun

1. slang a street urchin

2. (formerly) one who made a living by picking up odds and ends in the mud of tidal rivers

3. slang a racehorse that runs well on a wet or muddy course

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Etymology

Origin of mudlark

First recorded in 1790–1800; mud + lark ¹

Example Sentences

Tidal charts are imperative — the river is fast and deep — as is a permit to mudlark, authorized by the Port of London Authority.

From New York Times • Apr. 1, 2020

To mudlark on the Thames these days, incidentally, you need to be a member of the Society of Thames Mudlarks and obtain an annual permit that costs about $100.

From Slate • Dec. 6, 2018

DS Interested in "posterity, not profit", Steve Brooker is a mudlark, licensed to dig on the foreshore of the Thames.

From The Guardian • Feb. 28, 2011

Epsom 2.05 Successful over this course and distance in August, Plaisterer will enjoy the conditions underfoot more than many of her rivals and the mudlark remains reasonably handicapped despite her recent return to form.

From The Guardian • Oct. 2, 2010

“A compound of Newgate, Bedlam, a Debtors’ Prison in the worst time, a chimney-sweep, a mudlark, and the Noble Savage! 

From Tom Tiddler's Ground by Dickens, Charles