bum-bailiff
noun historical, derogatory
A bailiff empowered to collect debts or arrest debtors for non-payment: a confounded pettifogging bum-bailiff...
- They are also often called bum-bailiffs or, shortly, ‘bums’.
- They will do what the law commands, but they will not volunteer to act as tip-staves of bum-bailiffs.
- Up to the time that a post office was established on January 1, 1806, it was known as Bumbridge because the bum-bailiff fell through the bridge while attempting to arrest a person.
Origin
Early 17th century: from bum2, so named because of the association of an approach from behind.
- all-around
- all-arounder
- all-aroundness
- allatectomise
- allatectomised
- allatectomize
- allatectomized
- allatectomy
- allative
- all at once
- all-Australian
- allay
- allayer
- allayment
- all bets are off
- all-big-gun
- All Blacks
- all-body
- all-boy
- all-boys
- all-boys'
- all but
- all-Canadian
- all-cargo
- all cats are grey in the dark (or at night all cats are gray)