rag-and-bone man

American  

[rag-uhn-bohn] / ˈræg ənˈboʊn /

noun

British.

1. a peddler who buys and sells used clothes, rags, etc.; junkman.

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rag-and-bone man British  

noun

1. US equivalent: junkman.  Also called: ragman.   ragpicker.  a man who buys and sells discarded clothing, furniture, etc

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Etymology

Origin of rag-and-bone man

First recorded in 1850–55

Example Sentences

Exploring alternatives, he moves even further back on the historical scale, trying his luck as a rag-and-bone man.

From New York Times • Jul. 17, 2016

The cache was discovered in the early 1980s in black binbags by rag-and-bone man George Stevens outside a scrap yard in Ardwick, Manchester.

From The Guardian • Jul. 3, 2012

"Made a rare mess of the garding, ain't 'e?" remarked the rag-and-bone man to the woman with the tweed cap and the hat-pin.

From Mrs. Bindle Some Incidents from the Domestic Life of the Bindles by Jenkins, Hebert

So far it has been my purpose to show that the archæologist is not a rag-and-bone man, though the public generally thinks he is, and he often thinks he is himself.

From The Treasury of Ancient Egypt Miscellaneous Chapters on Ancient Egyptian History and Archaeology by Weigall, Arthur E. P. B.

You’re a nice old sort for a rag-and-bone man: can’t hold a bag open!

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson, Volume XV by Stevenson, Robert Louis