bossman

See also: boss man and boss-man

English

WOTD – 1 May 2022

Etymology

From boss +‎ man.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒsmæn/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɔsmæn/, /ˈbɑs-/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: boss‧man

Noun

bossman (plural bossmen) (originally US, informal)

1. (often mildly derogatory) A male boss or employer. [from 1930s.]

   Coordinate terms: bosslady, bosswoman

   • 2004, quoted in Laurie Kroshus Medina, Negotiating Economic Development:

     Valerie nodded her head and added, "The workers don't back you up. They want to cooperate when they don't see the bossman, but as they see the bossman, they get frightened. […]

   • 2010, “I Need A Dollar”, performed by Aloe Blacc:

     I had a job but the bossman let me go (he said)
     I'm sorry but I won't be needing your help no more (I said)
     Please, mister bossman, I need this job more than you know
     But he gave me my last paycheck and he sent me on out the door

2. (vocative)
   1. Used as a term of address for an unfamiliar, possibly distrusted man: bud, buddy, friend.

      You should watch what you say, bossman.

      I don’t know what to tell you, bossman.

   2. Used as a term of address for a man who appears courageous: boss.

      You really showed them, bossman. What’s your name?

Alternative forms

• boss man, boss-man

Translations

male boss or employer — see boss,‎ employer

used as a term of address for an unfamiliar, possibly distrusted man — see buddy,‎ friend

used as a term of address for a man who appears courageous — see boss

See also

• mensch
• the man

Further reading

• bossman (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• “boss-man, n.” under “boss, n.⁶”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022.
• “bossman, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “boss man”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.