muscleman

American  

[muhs-uhl-man] / ˈmʌs əlˌmæn /

noun

plural

musclemen

1. Informal. a man with a muscular or brawny physique, especially a bodybuilder.

2. Slang. a bodyguard, especially one hired to intimidate others, often by strong-arm methods.

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muscleman British  

/ ˈmʌsəlˌmæn /

noun

1. a man with highly developed muscles

2. a henchman employed by a gangster to intimidate or use violence upon victims

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Etymology

Origin of muscleman

An Americanism dating back to 1925–30; muscle + man

Example Sentences

He crooks his arms in a kind of a hybrid muscleman flex/double thumbs-up/Fonzie “eyyyyy” pose.

From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2020

But more to the point, I long to see my life reflected on the screen, and last I checked there was no flying saucer or caped muscleman flying outside my window.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2018

By now, most of American knows that movie muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger will take President-elect Donald Trump’s place as host of NBC’s “The Apprentice,” which will be renamed “The Celebrity Apprentice” and debuts Jan. 2.

From Washington Times • Dec. 20, 2016

There were other applicants, including Mike Souchak, a muscleman himself, and Ken Venturi, the betting favorite to succeed Ben Hogan atop golf.

From Golf Digest • Sep. 25, 2016

And rounding off the ensemble are Zoe Saldana's green-skinned no-nonsense warrior, and a bluish-grey muscleman whose failure to grasp metaphor is comic gold: "Nothing goes over my head; my reflexes are too fast."

From The Guardian • Jul. 24, 2014