Houseboy
.jpg) Houseboy with child in New Guinea, c. 1930s | |
| Occupation | |
|---|---|
Occupation type | Domestic labour |
Activity sectors | Housework |
| Description | |
Related jobs | Maid |
Houseboy is a term which refers to a typically male domestic worker or personal assistant who performs cleaning and other forms of personal chores. The term has a record of being used in the British Empire and the military.
United Kingdom
[edit]Historically, houseboy was a term used in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland for a male domestic servant.[1] Houseboys were usually, but not always, native people who worked for a British family living in the non-British regions of the empire.[2] A female housecleaner was termed a housegirl. Both sexes often wore uniform, due to their status as domestic servants.
Military slang
[edit]Houseboy was also used as an American slang term originating in the Second World War for a young teenager who helped American soldiers perform basic responsibilities like cleaning, laundry, ironing, shoe-shining, running errands, etc. The British English term for this occupation was 'Batman'.[2]
See also
[edit]- Housekeeper
- Fagging
- wikt:Garçon, the French word for "boy", also used as an occupational title
- House officer, previously "houseman", various grades of doctor in British hospitals
- House slave, as opposed to field slaves, during the period of slavery in the United States
References
[edit]- ↑ "houseboy noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced American Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com". www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- 1 2 "houseboy". dictionary.cambridge.org. 16 September 2026. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
