gandy dancer

noun

gan·​dy dancer ˈgan-dē- How to pronounce gandy dancer (audio)
Synonyms of gandy dancernext
1
: a laborer in a railroad section gang
2
: an itinerant or seasonal laborer

Word History

Etymology

of obscure origin

Note: Claims that gandy refers to a "Gandy Manufacturing Company" or "Gandy Tool Company," a supposed maker of section worker tools, have never been substantiated and are probably specious.

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of gandy dancer was in 1915

Dictionary Entries Near gandy dancer

gandoura

gandy dancer

gane

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Gandy dancer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gandy%20dancer. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on gandy dancer

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gandy dancer

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
little chihuahua dressing like a turkey for thanksgiving
Is That Gratitude or Attitude? A Thanksgiving Quiz Decide which words express gratitude and which gi...