continuity girl , man n a girl or man whose job is to ensure continuity and consistency, esp. in matters of dress, make-up, etc., in successive shots of a film, esp. when these shots are filmed on different days
advance man
n (U.S.) an agent of a political candidate or other public figure who travels in advance of the candidate to organize publicity, arrange meetings, and make security checks
angry young man
n
1 often caps one of several British novelists and playwrights of the 1950s who shared a hostility towards the established traditions and ruling elements of their country
2 any similarly rebellious person
auntie man
n (Caribbean)
informal an effeminate or homosexual male
belt man
n (Austral. and N.Z.) (formerly) the member of a beach life-saving team who swam out with a line attached to his belt
best man
n the (male) attendant of the bridegroom at a wedding
blind man's buff
n a game in which a blindfolded person tries to catch and identify the other players
(C16: buff, perhaps from Old French buffe a blow; see buffet2)
company man
n an employee who puts allegiance to the company for which he works above personal opinion or friendship
confidence man , trickster
n another name for →
con man
con man
n
Informal
1 a person who swindles another by means of a confidence trick
2 a plausible character, (More formal term)
confidence man
contact man
n an intermediary or go-between
Cro-Magnon man
n an early type of modern man, Homo sapiens, who lived in Europe during late Palaeolithic times, having tall stature, long head, and a relatively large cranial capacity
(C19: named after the cave (Cro-Magnon), Dordogne, France, where the remains were first found)
dead man's fingers
n functioning as sing a soft coral, Alcyonium digitatum, with long finger-like polyps
dead man's handle , pedal
n a safety switch on a piece of machinery, such as a train, that allows operation only while depressed by the operator
de-man
vb tr , -mans, -manning, -manned (Brit) to reduce the workforce of (a plant, industry, etc.)
enlisted man
n (U.S) a serviceman who holds neither a commission nor a warrant and is not under training for officer rank as a cadet or midshipman
Essex Man
n
Informal, derogatory a working man, typically a Londoner who has moved out to Essex, who flaunts his new-found success and status
family man
n a man who is married and has children, esp. one who is devoted to his family
fancy man
n
Slang
Folsom man
n a type of early man from a North American culture of the Pleistocene period, thought to have used flint tools and to have subsisted mainly by hunting bison
(C20: named after Folsom, a settlement in New Mexico, where archaeological evidence was found)
front man
n
Informal
1 a nominal leader of an organization, etc., who lacks real power or authority, esp. one who lends respectability to some nefarious activity
2 the leader or visual focus of a group of musicians, usually the singer, (Also called)
front person
G-man
n pl , G-men
1 (U.S.)
slang an FBI agent
2 (Irish) a political detective
gombeen-man
n (Irish) a shopkeeper who practises usury
government man
n (Austral) (in the 19th century) a convict
Grimaldi man
n (Anthropol) a type of Aurignacian man having a negroid appearance, thought to be a race of Cro-Magnon man
(C20: named after the Grimaldi caves, Italy, where skeletons of this type were found)
hatchet man
n
Informal
1 a person carrying out unpleasant assignments for an employer or superior
2 (U.S. and Canadian) a hired murderer
3 a severe or malicious critic
Heidelberg man
n a type of primitive man, Homo heidelbergensis, occurring in Europe in the middle Palaeolithic age, known only from a single fossil lower jaw
(C20: referring to the site where remains were found, at Mauer, near Heidelberg, Germany (1907))
he-man
n pl , -men
Informal a strongly built muscular man
hit man
n
Slang a hired assassin, esp. one employed by gangsters
ice man
n (Chiefly U.S) a man who sells or delivers ice
inner man , (fem.) inner woman
n
2 Jocular the stomach or appetite
iron man
n (Austral) an event at a surf carnival in which contestants compete at swimming, surfing, running, etc.
Isle of Man
n See (Isle of) →
Man
Java man
n a type of primitive man, Homo erectus (formerly called Pithecanthropus erectus), that lived in the middle Palaeolithic Age in Java, (Also called)
Trinil man
key-man assurance
n an assurance policy taken out, esp. by a small company, on the life of a senior executive whose death would create a serious loss
ladies' man , lady's man
n a man who is fond of, attentive to, and successful with women
lady's man
n a variant spelling of →
ladies' man
leading man
n a man who plays the main part in a film, play, etc.
♦
leading lady fem n
limit man
n (in a handicap sport or game) the competitor with the maximum handicap
little man
n
1 a man of no importance or significance
2 (Brit) a tradesman or artisan operating on a small scale
lollipop man , lady
n (in Britain) a person wearing a white coat and carrying a pole bearing a circular warning sign who stops traffic to allow children travelling to or from school to cross a road safely, (Official name)
school crossing patrol
main man
n
Slang (chiefly U.S.)
man
n pl , men
1 an adult male human being, as distinguished from a woman
2 modifier male; masculine
a man child
3 a human being regardless of sex or age, considered as a representative of mankind; a person
4 sometimes cap human beings collectively; mankind
the development of man
5 (Also called)
modern man
a a member of any of the living races of Homo sapiens, characterized by erect bipedal posture, a highly developed brain, and powers of articulate speech, abstract reasoning, and imagination
b any extinct member of the species Homo sapiens, such as Cro-Magnon man
6 a member of any of the extinct species of the genus Homo, such as Java man, Heidelberg man, and Solo man
7 an adult male human being with qualities associated with the male, such as courage or virility
be a man
8 manly qualities or virtues
the man in him was outraged
a a subordinate, servant, or employee contrasted with an employer or manager
b (in combination)
the number of man-days required to complete a job
10 usually pl a member of the armed forces who does not hold commissioned, warrant, or noncommissioned rank (as in the phrase officers and men)
11 a member of a group, team, etc.
12 a husband, boyfriend, etc.
man and wife
13 an expression used parenthetically to indicate an informal relationship between speaker and hearer
14 a movable piece in various games, such as draughts
15 (S. African)
slang any person: used as a term of address
16 a vassal of a feudal lord
17 ♦
as one man with unanimous action or response
18 ♦
be one's own man to be independent or free
19 ♦
he's your man he's the person needed (for a particular task, role, job, etc.)
20 ♦
man and boy from childhood
21 ♦
sort out or separate the men from the boys to separate the experienced from the inexperienced
b without exception
they were slaughtered to a man
interj
23 Informal an exclamation or expletive, often indicating surprise or pleasure
vb , mans, manning, manned tr
24 to provide with sufficient men for operation, defence, etc.
to man a ship
25 to take one's place at or near in readiness for action
26 (Falconry) to induce (a hawk or falcon) to endure the presence of and handling by man, esp. strangers
(Old English mann; related to Old Frisian man, Old High German man, Dutch man, Icelandic mathr)
♦
manless adj
Man [1]
n
♦
the sometimes not cap (U.S.)
1 Black slang a White man or White men collectively, esp. when in authority, in the police, or held in contempt
Man [2]
n Isle of. an island in the British Isles, in the Irish Sea between Cumbria and Northern Ireland: a Crown possession with its own parliament, the Court of Tynwald; a dependency of Norway until 1266, when it came under Scottish rule; its own language, Manx, is now almost extinct. Capital: Douglas. Pop.: 72600 (1998 est.). Area: 588 sq. km (227 sq. miles)
Man.
abbrev. for
-man
n combining form indicating a person who has a role, works in a place, or operates equipment as specified
salesman,, barman,, cameraman
The use of words ending in -man is avoided as implying a male in job advertisements, where sexual discrimination is illegal, and in many other contexts where a term that is not gender-specific is available, such as salesperson, barperson, camera operator
man about town
n a fashionable sophisticate, esp. one in a big city
man-at-arms
n pl , men-at-arms a soldier, esp. a heavily armed mounted soldier in medieval times
man-eater
n
1 an animal, such as a tiger, that has become accustomed to eating human flesh
2 any of various sharks that feed on human flesh, esp. the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias)
4 Informal a woman with many lovers
♦
man-eating adj
man Friday
n a loyal male servant or assistant
(after the native in Daniel Defoe's novel Robinson Crusoe (1719))
man-hour
n a unit for measuring work in industry, equal to the work done by one man in one hour
man in the moon
n
1 the moon when considered to resemble the face of a man
2 (in folklore and nursery rhyme) a character dwelling in the moon
man in the street
n the typical or ordinary person, esp. as a hypothetical unit in statistics
man jack
n
Informal a single individual (in the phrases every man jack, no man jack)
man lock
n (Civil engineering) an airlock that allows workmen to pass in and out of spaces with differing air pressures
man-made
adj made or produced by man; artificial
man of God
n
man of straw
n
1 a person of little substance
2 (Also called)
straw man (Chiefly U.S.) a person used as a cover for some dubious plan or enterprise; front man
man-of-war , man o' war
n pl , men-of-war, men o' war
2 See →
Portuguese man-of-war
man-of-war bird , man-o'-war bird
n another name for →
frigate bird
man orchid
n an orchid, Aceras anthropophorum, having greenish or reddish flowers in a loose spike, with a deeply lobed dark brown lip thought to resemble the silhouette of a man
man-sized
adj
1 of a size appropriate for or convenient for a man
man-to-man
adj characterized by directness or candour
a man-to-man discussion
medicine man
n (among certain peoples, esp. North American Indians) a person believed to have supernatural powers of healing; a magician or sorcerer
muffin man
n (Brit) (formerly) an itinerant seller of muffins
Neanderthal man
n a type of primitive man, Homo neanderthalensis, or H. sapiens neanderthalensis, occurring throughout much of Europe in late Palaeolithic times: it is thought that they did not interbreed with other early humans and are not the ancestors of modern humans
(C19: from the anthropological findings (1857) in the Neandertal, a valley near Düsseldorf, Germany)
New Man
n the. a type of modern man who allows the caring side of his nature to show by being supportive and by sharing child care and housework
nineteenth man
n
1 (Australian Rules football) the first reserve in a team
2 any person acting as a reserve or substitute
no-man's-land
n
1 land between boundaries, esp. an unoccupied zone between opposing forces
2 an unowned or unclaimed piece of land
3 an ambiguous area of activity or thought
old clothes man
n a person who deals in second-hand clothes
old man
n
1 an informal term for →
father →
husband →
1
2 sometimes caps
Informal a man in command, such as an employer, foreman, or captain of a ship
3 Sometimes facetious an affectionate term used in addressing a man
4 another name for →
southernwood
6 (Christianity) the unregenerate aspect of human nature
old man's beard
n any of various plants having white feathery seed heads, esp. traveller's joy and Spanish moss
one-man
adj consisting of or done by or for one man
a one-man band, a one-man show
organization man
n
1 a person who subordinates his personal life to the demands of the organization he works for
2 a person who specializes in or is good at organization
Palaeolithic man
n any of various primitive types of man, such as Neanderthal man and Java man, who lived in the Palaeolithic
party man
n a loyal member of a political party, esp. one who is extremely loyal or devoted
Peking man
n an early type of man, Homo erectus, remains of which, of the Lower Palaeolithic age, were found in a cave near Peking (now Beijing), China, in 1927
Piltdown man
n an advanced hominid postulated from fossil bones found in Sussex in 1912, but shown by modern dating methods in 1953 to be a hoax, which was perpetrated by a student museum assistant who was refused a wage
point man
n (Chiefly U.S)
1 (Military) a soldier who walks at the front of an infantry patrol in combat
2 the leader or spokesperson of a campaign or organization
poor man's orange
n (N.Z.)
informal, obsolete a grapefruit
Portuguese man-of-war
n any of several large complex colonial hydrozoans of the genus Physalia, esp. P. physalis, having an aerial float and long stinging tentacles: order Siphonophora, (Sometimes shortened to)
man-of-war
property man
n a member of the stage crew in charge of the stage properties, (Usually shortened to)
propman
rag-and-bone man
n (Brit) a man who buys and sells discarded clothing, furniture, etc, (Also called)
ragman, ragpicker (U.S. equivalent)
junkman
red man
n
Archaic a North American Indian
(C18: see redskin)
reel man
n (Austral. and N.Z.) (formerly) the member of a beach life-saving team who controlled the reel on which the line was wound
remittance man
n a man living abroad on money sent from home, esp. in the days of the British Empire
Renaissance man
n a man of any period who has a broad range of intellectual interests
Rhodesian man
n a type of early man, Homo rhodesiensis (or H. sapiens rhodesiensis), occurring in Africa in late Pleistocene times and resembling Neanderthal man in many features
roentgen equivalent man
n the dose of ionizing radiation that produces the same effect in man as one roentgen of x- or gamma-radiation, (Abbrev)
REM, rem
sandwich man
n a man who carries sandwich boards
second man
n a person who assists the driver in crewing a locomotive
Solo man
n a type of early man, Homo soloensis, of late Pleistocene times, having a skull resembling that of Neanderthal man but with a smaller cranial capacity
(C20: after Solo, site in central Java where remains were found)
Son of Man
n (Bible) a title of Jesus Christ
squaw man
n
Derogatory a White or other non-Indian married to a North American Indian woman
standover man
n (Austral)
informal a person who extorts money by intimidation
straight man
n a subsidiary actor who acts as stooge to a comedian
straw man
n (Chiefly U.S.)
1 a figure of a man made from straw
2 another term for →
man of straw
target man
n (Soccer) an attacking player to whom high crosses and centres are played, esp. a tall forward
third man
n (Cricket)
a a fielding position on the off side near the boundary behind the batsman's wicket
b a fielder in this position
third man argument
n (in the philosophy of Aristotle) the argument against the existence of Platonic Forms that since the Form of Man is itself a perfect man, a further form (the ``third'' man) would be required to explain this, and so ad infinitum
T-man
n pl , -men (U.S.) a law-enforcement agent of the U.S. Treasury
Trinil man
n another name for →
Java man
(C20: named after the village in Java where remains were found)
twelfth man
n a reserve player in a cricket team
utility man
n (Chiefly U.S)
1 a worker who is expected to serve in any of several capacities
2 an actor who plays any of numerous small parts
wheel man
n
2 (Also called)
wheelsman (U.S.) a helmsman
White man's burden
n the supposed duty of the White race to bring education and Western culture to the non-White inhabitants of their colonies
wild man
n
2 an extremist in politics
yes man
n a servile, submissive, or acquiescent subordinate, assistant, or associate; sycophant
young man
n a boyfriend; sweetheart