bone-grubber (pluralbone-grubbers)

1. (obsolete) A person whoscavenges for waste materials such as bones and rags to sell.

   Synonyms:bone-picker(obsolete),rag-and-bone man

   • 1842, William Collier, “A Chapter on Beards”, inBentley’s Miscellany‎^[1], Volume 11, January-June 1842, p. 575:

     More than half of our modern scribes, and particularly the dramatic portion of them, are little better than literarybone-grubbers, pickers and stealers of unconsidered trifles,—men who, having no brains, live by spinning the brains of others, andgive themselves credt fororiginality.

   • 1851,Henry Mayhew,London Labour and the London Poor‎^[2], volume 2, page139:

     Thebone-grubber generally seeks out the narrow back streets, where dust and refuse are cast, or where any dust-bins are accessible. The articles for which he chiefly searches are rags and bones—rags he prefers—but waste metal, such as bits of lead, pewter, copper, brass, or old iron, he prizes above all.

   • 1875 February, James Mackintosh, “All About Rats”, inBallou’s Monthly Magazine, volume41, number 2, page183:

     If anyone believes that rats are not used for human food, he must change his opinion. In Paris the chiffoniers orbone-grubbers eat them.

   • 1880, W. T. Washburn, chapter 47, inThe Unknown City: A Story of New York‎^[3], New York: Jesse Haney & Co, page351:

     While you were there father died. As you know, he was abone-grubber; the only property he left me was a hooked stick, a bag, and a horse’s skeleton.

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