meaning of pointman (point man)

[Nicole]

Hi,

I just overhead this word on the radio: pointman. From the context it appeard in, I assume it must refer to a person who coordinates things but my dictionary doesn't have an entry for pointman. Is this a new word?

Thank you,
Nicole
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[Jamie (K)]

One of my dictionaries lists point man as dating back to 1903. It originally meant the soldier at the head of a patrol. It's not a new word, but I think it must have come into more frequent use over the past 20 years. It doesn't show up in a 1967 Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary, but it is in a new edition of the same book.

[Conchita]

Maybe the following definitions I've found in The Free Dictionary are down the lines of what you heard on the radio, Nicole:

Point man/point woman - someone who is the forefront of an important enterprise; "he is the president's point man on economic issues"

Someone who has a crucial, often hazardous role in the forefront of an enterprise: "They are the point men and women in the industry's drive to sell wine" New York Times.