ˈroundsman
[f. round n.1]
1. A labourer in need of parochial relief, who was sent round from one farmer to another for employment, partly at the expense of the farmer and partly at the cost of the parish.
| 1795 Eden State of the Poor (1797) II. 384 Persons working in this manner are called rounds-men, from their going round to village or township for employ. 1820 Syd. Smith Wks. (1859) l. 302/2 The system of roundsmen is much complained of. 1830 Cobbett Rur. Rides (1885) II. 350 The labourers here who are in need of parochial relief, are formed into what are called roundsmen. 1854 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XV. ii. 262 The surplus labourers are employed in turns by the farmers..: these odd men were called ‘rounds-men’. |
| attrib. 1834 Tait's Mag. I. 37/2 At present the roundsman system is a wasteful and unequal tax. |
2. One who makes rounds of inspection; esp. U.S. a police-officer in charge of a patrol.
| 1868 N.Y. Herald 31 July 6/5 Patrolman Jas. Mee..is hereby appointed roundsman on the force. 1870 ‘Mark Twain’ in Galaxy Sept. 430/1 The rank of constable or even roundsman. 1883 Daily News 18 Oct. 3/2 A roundsman and five patrolmen were present to preserve order. 1888 Pall Mall G. 9 Mar. 2/3 Shortly before the Emperor left the palace two roundsmen and two detectives patrolled the road. 1902 Chambers's Jrnl. Oct. 674/1 The first grade of promotion is to roundsman... The roundsman is an important man, for on him the discipline of the patrolmen largely depends. 1937 Sun (Baltimore) 1 Dec. 3/1 John McAdams, a former customs roundsman, who was dismissed recently, also was accused of being a member of the smuggling ring. |
3. A person employed by a tradesman to go the round of his customers for orders and the delivery of goods.
| 1884 Weekly Notes 29 Nov. 216/2 The defendant agreed to serve the plaintiff as ‘roundsman’ and assistant. 1935 E. Anglia Daily Times 18 Dec. 4/2 A Lowestoft milk roundsman, who persuaded his customers to buy more than 12 per cent. more milk in three months, has won the {pstlg}25 and cup awarded for salesmanship. 1977 ‘M. Underwood’ Fatal Trip xix. 106 It did not take long to discover the name of the dairy [and]..that Frey Chaytor was the roundsman. |
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Add: 4. Austral. A journalist who specializes in a particular field. Cf. *round n.1 15 b.
| 1938 Newspaper News (Sydney) 1 Oct. 1/5 He has been successively a..casual football reporter, police roundsman, general reporter, departmental roundsman, Parliamentary reporter, [etc.]. 1972 J. Belfrage in G. W. Turner Good Austral. Eng. vi. 107 It is the style of the political roundsman, and it reflects the tradition of ‘boots and all’ in-fighting which grew out of the turbulent nineteenth century politics. 1984 Inst. Public Affairs Rev. (Austral.) Autumn 56/1 Mr Hawke..will tell you how badly the Canberra Press gallery compares with the Melbourne industrial roundsmen of his day. 1988 R. McKie We have no Dreaming 47 A colleague, the regular parliamentary roundsman for the Telegraph, one of the most erratic and gifted political journalists I have ever known. |