postman

postman
   The man who collects and delivers mail is a postman in Britain, a mailman in the USA. In Somerset Maugham’s short story Episode a girl runs to catch a postman who has just emptied a box. ‘“Postman,” she cried, “take this letter, will you.”’ In the story she eventually marries the man concerned.
   A postman originally carried mail from post to post, from one post-stage to another, along the socalled post-roads. In former times, especially in rural districts, the postman could become a wellknown individual. In Lark Rise, Flora Thompson writes:
   There was one postal delivery a day, and towards ten o’clock the heads of the women beating their mats would be turned towards the allotment path to watch for ‘Old Postie.’ ‘No, I ain’t got nothin’ for you, Mrs Parish,’ he would call. ‘Your young Annie wrote to you only last week. She’s got summat else to do beside sittin’ down on her arse writing home all the time.’
   In The House with the Green Shutters, by George Douglas, which is set in a Scottish town, the postman is referred to in the third person as ‘Postie’, or ‘the Post’. At one time he is addressed directly as ‘Post’, a few moments after he discovers the bodies of three suicides: ‘Oh, my God, Post, what have you seen, to bring that look to your eyes? What have you seen, man?’

A dictionary of epithets and terms of address . . 2015.

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  • Postman — steht für: Postman (Roman), einen Science Fiction Roman von David Brin Postman (Film), die Verfilmung des Romans Postman ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Neil Postman (1931–2003), amerikanischer Medienwissenschaftler …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Postman — es The Anonymous Mis (Remon Stotijn) de Rotterdam (Holanda). Antes eran un grupo de tres componentes, G Boah (Gus Bear) y Shy Rock (Michael Parkinson). Debido a la marcha de los dos últimos para continuar con sus respectivas carreras en solitario …   Wikipedia Español

  • Postman — Post man, n.; pl. {Postmen}. 1. A post or courier; a letter carrier. [1913 Webster] 2. (Eng. Law) One of the two most experienced barristers in the Court of Exchequer, who have precedence in motions; so called from the place where he sits. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • postman — 1520s, from POST (Cf. post) (3) + MAN (Cf. man) …   Etymology dictionary

  • postman — (or postwoman) ► NOUN Brit. ▪ a person who is employed to deliver or collect post …   English terms dictionary

  • postman — [pōst′mən] n. pl. postmen [pōst′mən] MAIL CARRIER …   English World dictionary

  • Postman — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Le Facteur. Postman Données clés Titre québécois Le Facteur Titre original The Postman Réalisation Kevin Costn …   Wikipédia en Français

  • postman */ — UK [ˈpəʊs(t)mən] / US [ˈpoʊs(t)mən] noun [countable] Word forms postman : singular postman plural postmen UK [ˈpəʊs(t)mən] / US [ˈpoʊs(t)mən] someone whose job is to collect and deliver the post …   English dictionary

  • postman — [[t]po͟ʊstmən[/t]] postmen N COUNT A postman is a man whose job is to collect and deliver letters and packages that are sent by post. [mainly BRIT] (in AM, usually use mailman) …   English dictionary

  • postman — A mailman making deliveries on a route, particularly a city route. In the court of exchequer, two of the most experienced barristers, called the postman and the tub man (from the places in which they sit), have a precedence in motions. See 3 Bl… …   Ballentine's law dictionary

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