POWDERMONKEY

Powder monkey

A powder boy or powder monkey manned naval artillery guns as a member of a warship's crew, primarily during the Age of Sail. His chief role was to ferry gunpowder from the powder magazine in the ship's hold to the artillery pieces, either in bulk or as cartridges. The function was fulfilled by boy seamen 12 to 14 years of age. Powder monkeys were usually boys or young teens selected for the job for their speed and height — they were short and would be hidden behind the ship's gunwale, keeping them from being shot by enemy ships' sharp shooters. In recent times the term has been applied to a variety of workers who deploy explosives. The use of the ...

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powder monkey

Noun

  1. An explosives expert. A person who sets explosives.
  2. The persons employed to carry gun powder from the ship's magazine to the gun deck during a battle; in the 18th century Royal British and U. S. Navies, this task (also carrying water) during battles became a permanent nickname for the ship's cabin boys and apprentice seamen.
  3. A skier or snowboarder who avidly seeks out the “powder” (light, dry, fluffy snow).


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: powder monkey
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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