sidewalk superintendent

American  

noun

Informal.

1. a bystander who watches the building, demolition, repair, or other work being done at a construction site.

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Etymology

Origin of sidewalk superintendent

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

When you’re caring for a baby or toddler in a public place, you will inevitably encounter the kind of person I call a sidewalk superintendent.

From New York Times

Biding its time across from the , its annoyance at anonymity grows with the gawking of every new sidewalk superintendent.

From New York Times

He has signed up for enough lectures to keep him running around the world at something like $1,000 a talking minute and has been certified as a top-drawer sidewalk superintendent for his presidential library, now a huge hole in the ground.

From Time Magazine Archive

NASA's verdict on the extraterrestrial crane would have delighted any orbiting sidewalk superintendent: the six-jointed 50-ft.-long arm was extended, bent and manipulated with barely a hitch.

From Time Magazine Archive

Citation: "Sidewalk superintendent of our times, voice of our conscience, literate exponent of the belief that humor ought to speak the truth."

From Time Magazine Archive