> and Mr Millin's comment thereon:
>
> > Huffler? I always thought that the trad name for someone who helped
> > you through locks was a 'hobbler'..........or am I wrong? Or is
> > 'huffler' a modern term for someone who does it with possible
> > malicious intent?
>
> He might be right, you know (it has been known). If he is, where did
> I get "huffler" from?
>From memory (dodgier and dodgier with every passing year) 'cos all my
reference books are, once again, put away whilst we undertake yet another
major DIY project, a 'huffler', or possibly (a brain cell tells me)
'huffer', was the colloquial term for the men who dragged boats up and down
the Thames haling way
But I might be wrong! The term is certainly familiar in a waterways context
Bru
For interest, I have just Googled those words and came up with the following:
HUFFLER - labourer who offered services to help a canal boat through a flight
of locks.
Hobbler
hob·ble (hbl)
v. hob·bled, hob·bling, hob·bles
v.intr.
To walk or move along haltingly or with difficulty; limp.
v.tr.
1. To put a device around the legs of (a horse, for example) so as
to hamper but not prevent movement.
2. To cause to limp.
3. To hamper the action or progress of; impede.
n.
1. A hobbling walk or gait.
2. A device, such as a rope or strap, used to hobble an animal.
3. Archaic An awkward situation.
Bru, it looks like your brain cell is working better than you
thought : -)
John nb Charlotte Rose
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