pieman

English

Etymology

• From Middle English pyman (attested as a surname), equivalent to pie +‎ -man.
• (caller in gambling games): Such games were once often run by sellers of pies as a sideline.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

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Noun

pieman (plural piemen)

1. A man who sells pies.
2. (UK, slang, obsolete) The man who called heads or tails in street gambling games of coin tossing.

Derived terms

• toss the pieman

 

References

• John Camden Hotten (1873) The Slang Dictionary