powder monkey

American  

noun

1. (formerly) a boy employed on warships to carry gunpowder from the magazine to the guns.

2. powderman.

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powder monkey British  

noun

1. (formerly) a boy who carried powder from the magazine to the guns on warships

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Etymology

Origin of powder monkey

First recorded in 1675–85

Example Sentences

From a short hitch as assistant powder monkey in a Colorado gold mine.

From Time Magazine Archive

He was a powder monkey, which meant it was his job to rush heavy bags of explosive gunpowder to the men loading the cannons.

From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis

So, then, we are to lose our little powder monkey?

From The Powder Monkey by Dudley, Ambrose

You’re to stay aboard, and be a powder monkey.

From The Powder Monkey by Dudley, Ambrose

"They will turn you into a powder monkey, Repton."

From Held Fast For England A Tale of the Siege of Gibraltar (1779-83) by Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)