swamper
n.— «The man killed at an oil rig site in west central Alberta yesterday was a second year apprentice who had only been working for the company three months, say family.…He was what the industry calls a swamper, “the right hand man of the driver,” said Rocky Mountain House RCMP Cpl. Alex Courtorielle. The pair were dismantling the rig and preparing for a move at the time of the accident. The swamper’s job is to hook-up whatever the truck needs to haul.» —“Dead man on the job only 3 months” by Elise Stolte Edmonton Journal (Alberta, Canada) Mar. 21, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
You must log in to post a comment.
Sponsored in part by:
Kids Are Asking (episode #1523) 04/11/2019: Questions from young listeners and conversations about everything from shifting slang to a bizarre cooking technique. Kids ask about how to talk about finding information... [more]
Strawberry Moon (episode #1522) 04/08/2019: We asked for your thoughts about whether cursive writing should be taught in schools — and many of you replied with a resounding "Yes!" You... [more]
Spill the Tea (episode #1521) 03/25/2019: If someone urges you to spill the tea, they probably don't want you tipping over a hot beverage. Originally, the tea here was the letter... [more]
Dirty Laundry (#episode 1520) 03/11/2019: When you had sleepovers as a child, what did you call the makeshift beds you made on the floor? In some places, you call those... [more]
Keep Your Powder Dry (episode #1519) 02/25/2019: Jacuzzi and silhouette are eponyms — that is, they derive from the names of people. An Italian immigrant to California invented the bubbly hot tub... [more]
Also, in forestry terms in the US, a swamper is the person who assists a chainsaw operator. Typically the swamper will carry gas and oil for the saw and will clear out cut vegetation as the chainsaw operator cuts it. Very common in the wildland firefighting world.