teamster in British English?

[Torsten]

Hi, what does the word 'teamster' mean in British English? I know that in American English it can be used to talk about a truck driver.

Many thanks,
Torsten

TOEIC listening, photographs: The tiler

[Jamie (K)]

In British English the word has the same meaning it originally did in North America, which is the driver of a team of animals. However, the Oxford Compact Dictionary gives the modern North American meaning first, so the original meaning may be as rare in the UK as it is in the US.

Teamsters do the same job they always did, but now their vehicles have engines instead of horses.

By the way, in the US "teamster" doesn't mean just any truck driver, but specifically one who is a member of the very corrupt Teamsters Union (once led by the famous Jimmy Hoffa).

[Beeesneees]

Teamster is, indeed, a very rare term in the UK. I suspect most Brits wouldn't use it or be able to define it (in terms of either the AmEnglish or the BritEnglish definition).
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