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

"That's right, missis, you 'ave 'im quodded," called out the rag-and-bone man.

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

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

With the aid of the rag-and-bone man and the woman with the tweed cap and hat-pin, the whole situation was explained and expounded to both Bindle and the policeman.

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