tramp steamer

English

Noun

tramp steamer (plural tramp steamers)

1. (nautical) A commercial steamship that has no regular schedule or published ports of call.
   • 1994 October, Harry Hay, “Focussing On NAMBLA Obscures The Issues”, in Gay Community News, page 16:

     They found out I was bright, so they figured I'd make a good labor organizer when I got out of school. When I left at the end of the summer, they carefully instructed me how to shag a tramp steamer in 'Frisco going south, lending me an old union card so I could work my passage as a deck hand.

Synonyms

• ocean tramp

See also

• tramp trade