powder monkey

American  

noun

1. (formerly) a boy employed on warships to carry gunpowder from the magazine to the guns.

2. powderman.

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powder monkey British  

noun

1. (formerly) a boy who carried powder from the magazine to the guns on warships

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Etymology

Origin of powder monkey

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

From a short hitch as assistant powder monkey in a Colorado gold mine.

From Time Magazine Archive

He was a powder monkey, which meant it was his job to rush heavy bags of explosive gunpowder to the men loading the cannons.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis

“You’re the little powder monkey, they tell me.”

From The Powder Monkey by Dudley, Ambrose

He looked certainly old enough to have fought at Trafalgar—or, at any rate, to have played his little part there as a powder monkey.

From A Personal Record by Conrad, Joseph

“It’s a shame that a gentleman’s son should be treated as I have been, and made a powder monkey of, while you have been placed on the quarter-deck.”

From From Powder Monkey to Admiral A Story of Naval Adventure by Webb, Archibald