scurfern.
/ˈskəːfə/ An operative who removes incrustations of dirt from boilers, metal plates, etc.
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the world > physical sensation > cleanness and dirtiness > cleaning > cleaning other miscellaneous things > [noun] > one who cleans boilers, etc.
scurfer?1881
?1881 Census Eng. & Wales: Instr. Clerks classifying Occupations & Ages (?1885) 36 Scurfer (Ships).
1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §699 Scurfer, retort scurfer (gas works);..chips off deposited gas carbon from sides of retorts when it gets too thick.
1921 Dict. Occup. Terms (1927) §952 Boiler cleaner, boiler scaler, boiler scraper, boiler scurfer,..scurfer boy..; removes ‘scale’ (incrusted deposit) from inner surface of boilers and from boiler tubes.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1982; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.?1881