caird
Americannoun
-
a traveling tinker, especially a Romani.
-
a wandering tramp or vagrant.
noun
Etymology
Origin of caird
First recorded in 1655–65; from Scots Gaelic ceard “tinker”; akin to Latin cerdō “workman,” Greek kerdṓ “cunning one”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cruikshank's caird is a noble creature; his face and figure show him to be fully capable of doing and saying all that is above written of him.
From George Cruikshank by Thackeray, William Makepeace
An' I'll send the auld cat a caird wi' something nice on it, to please ye .
From Wee Macgreegor Enlists by Bell, J. J. (John Joy)
Only think of the beautiful Lady Cassilis who eloped with a belted knight, being reduced to the level of a hedge-tramper, and interchanging caresses with a caird!
From Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 61, No. 379, May, 1847 by Various
I pit th' —— wheel up, keepin' ma 'ee on th' compass caird; but that wis a fau't tae....
From The Brassbounder A Tale of the Sea by Bone, David W.
"Step in, sir, caird or gentleman," said my father—looking more bent at the shoulder than twelve years before.
From John Splendid The Tale of a Poor Gentleman, and the Little Wars of Lorn by Munro, Neil
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
