Jobs

For jobs that individuals in the public eye have done in the past (etc.), see Occupations (in the People section).

Statistician who calculates risks, premiums and dividends for an insurance company		Actuary
Fellmonger: buys and sells (and cures)		Animal hides
Fletchers are involved in making		Arrows
Tonsorialist		Barber
Italian word used for someone who serves behind the counter in a coffee shop		Barista
'Tapster' is an archaic term for someone who works in a		Bar
A cooper is someone who makes		Barrels
Second electrician on a film set		Best boy/girl
Faldstool: used by a		Bishop
'Colporteur' is another name for someone who sells		Books
Might use headers, stretchers, or queen closers		Bricklayer
Trade originally practised in places called The Shambles (e.g. in York and Manchester)		Butchery
Chandlers made (originally)		Candles
A knee kicker would be used by a		Carpet fitter
Wainwrights made		Carts or wagons
Male equivalent of a nursing sister		Charge nurse
A bodger was originally a skilled craftsman, who made		Chair legs
The toque (full name toque blanche) is a type of hat, particularly associated with		Chefs
Arkwrights made		Chests or coffers
An awl or a last would be used by a		Cobbler
Smallholder in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland		Crofter
Gaffer and Best Boy (on a film set) are		Electricians
Mahout: someone who handles		Elephants
Responsible for post–production sound effects on a film		Foley artist
Costermonger (a costard was a type of ribbed apple) sells		Fruit and vegetables
Senior electrician on a film set		Gaffer
Tailor's smoothing iron (from the shape of its handle)		Goose
In charge of camera support equipment (mounts, etc.) on a film set		Grip
Seller of buttons, ribbons, hooks, tapes etc.		Haberdasher
Splitting back, buch heading, laying: activities involved in		Hedging
Coper		Horse dealer
Senior grip on a film set		Key grip
Profession governed by benchers		Law
Dewey decimal system: used by		Librarians
The staff of the Greek god Hermes, known as the caduceus (cad–YOO–see–us) – with two serpents coiled round it, sometimes with wings – is nowadays the symbol of (business process)		Logistics
Term used in the USA (in the days before containerisation) for a highly skilled dock worker, a specialist in loading and unloading ships (cf. Stevedore)		Longshoreman
Many workers suffered from "phossy jaw" – necrosis of the jaw bones caused by chronic exposure to phosphorus vapour		Match making
The staff of the Greek god Asclepius – with a single serpent coiled round it – is nowadays the symbol of (profession)		Medicine
What made hatters mad?		Mercury poisoning
Someone who designs, makes and/or sells hats (is a hatter, or a)		Milliner
Someone who scavenges in river mud for items of value – especially in London during the Industrial Revolution		Mudlark
Braider: makes		Nets
Nickname of the waitresses in Lyons' Corner Houses and Tea Houses		Nippys
Stablehand at an inn – from the French word for a hotelier		Ostler (Hostler)
"Popping" (e.g. in Pop goes the weasel, "to pop one's clogs") refers to		Pawnbroking
Medical technician trained to take blood		Phlebotomist
'Pargeter' is an archaic term for a		Plasterer
Name is derived from the Latin word for lead		Plumber
Uses PTFE tape
'Limner' is an archaic term for a		(Portrait) painter
Rides on the near side to guide a team of horses drawing a coach		Postillion
Saggar–maker's bottom–knocker: industry		Pottery
Street names such as Grape Street and Grape Lane (e.g. in York) often indicate a history of use for		Prostitution
A swozzle (or swazzle) is used (to make voices) by		Punch & Judy man
Hospital doctors: junior to a consultant, senior to a houseman		Registrar
Archaic word for a scribe (someone who copies documents): Herman Melville wrote a short story about one named Bartleby, first published in 1853		Scrivener
Church caretaker, gravedigger, bellringer etc.		Sexton
The word 'snob' is first recorded in the late 18th century, as a term for a		Shoemaker
'Cordwainer' is an archaic term for a
Farrier		Shoes horses
The original freelancers were		Soldiers (mercenaries)
Term used in the UK (in the days before containerisation) for a highly skilled dock worker, a specialist in loading and unloading ships (cf. Longshoreman)		Stevedores
A theodolite is an instrument used by a		Surveyor
Civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field		Sutler
Tapicer (one of Chaucer's pilgrims was one) made		Tapestries
In the Roman Empire: a publican was a		Tax collector
Must pass "The Knowledge" before being granted a licence (in London)		Taxi drivers
Symbolised by a torch		Teaching
Mercer: traded in		Textiles, fabrics
"Nob thatcher" is an 18th century slang term (especially in the American colonies, apparently) for someone who made		Wigs

© Haydn Thompson 2017–22