pointsman

American  

[points-muhn] / ˈpɔɪnts mən /

noun

British.

plural

pointsmen

1. a railway switchman.

2. a police officer who directs traffic, as at an intersection.

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pointsman British  

/ -mən, ˈpɔɪntsˌmæn /

noun

1. US and Canadian equivalent: switchman.  a person who operates railway points

2. a policeman or traffic warden on point duty

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Etymology

Origin of pointsman

First recorded in 1840–50; point + -s ³ + man

Example Sentences

Pompeo had told Sergei Lavrov, his Russian counterpart, in a separate meeting in Helsinki that Russia’s pointsman for the Ukraine, Vladislav Surkov, needed to engage constructively with U.S. envoy Kurt Volker.

From Washington Post • Jul. 20, 2018

They were "shunting" wagons across the line when the express came up, or the pointsman did n't turn the switch, or the fog obscured the danger signal.

From The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. II by Lever, Charles James

In a few seconds it reached and passed the place where the siding was connected with the main line, and where a pointsman stood ready to shift the points.

From The Iron Horse by Ballantyne, R. M. (Robert Michael)

It acts like the pointsman on a railway, who, by pulling a lever, sends the train in another direction.

From The Intellectual Life by Hamerton, Philip Gilbert

For though only a common pointsman, I've a father's feelings, too, So I sank down in a faint, sir, as my Polly was 'id from view.

From Successful Recitations by Miles, Alfred H. (Alfred Henry)