hoser

Definition

One who operates a hose, e.g. a fire hose or a garden hose.

Etymology

From hose + -er. The Canadian senses originally derive from hose (“to siphon gasoline from automobile gas tanks”), in reference to farmers who siphoned gas from farming vehicles; they were later reinforced by use to describe the players on the losing side of a game of shinny or hockey, who were required to hose down the rink to return it to a smooth state, and ultimately popularized in the 1980s by a sketch on the television show Second City Television, in which Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas played Bob and Doug McKenzie, who used the term as an insult for each other.

Example Sentences

• "[…] they found one of the neighbors hosing down the area. He was pretty resistant when the cops told him to turn off the hose. The hoser gave the cops a statement, […]"
• "Membership [in early Russian fire departments] included the mayor, a retired general, a teacher at a school for artists, a merchant, at least sixteen duma members, and teams of hosers, climbers, and security guards."
• "All three of these are blue-hosers. Every color in Magic has cards specifically designed to hurt it. Against many of the hosers, you can't really do much; the best strategy is simply not to rely too much on a single color."