endman
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Noun
[edit]endman (plural endmen)
- A man at one end of a row or line.
- One who takes the most advanced or extreme view of anything; an extremist.
- (obsolete) A type of stock character common in American minstrel shows, occurring in pairs, flanking a character in the middle, and distinguished by exchanging jokes in between skits and songs.
- Synonym: cornerman
- 1904, William Jerome, When Mr. Shakespeare comes to town:
- I don't like the Minstrel folks, and I doesn't care for the endmen's jokes;
I has no use for the musical mokes, and I don't like a circus clown […]
References
[edit]- 2001. The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: North America. Garland Publishing. Ellen Koskoff (Ed.)