town crier

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town crier

1. A person formerly employed by a town to proclaim announcements in the streets.

2. Informal A gossip.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

town crier

(Historical Terms) (formerly) a person employed by a town to make public announcements in the streets

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

town′ cri′er

a person formerly employed by a town to make public announcements or proclamations, usu. by shouting in the streets.

[1595–1605]

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Noun

town crier - (formerly) an official who made public announcements

crier

announcer - someone who proclaims a message publicly

Translations

town crier

[ˌtaʊnˈkraɪəʳ] n (Brit) → banditore/trice

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

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References in classic literature ?

The Coppersmith is a bird who makes a noise exactly like the beating of a little hammer on a copper pot; and the reason he is always making it is because he is the town crier to every Indian garden, and tells all the news to everybody who cares to listen.

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Do you think newspapers and town criers are needed to tell a scout what is doing on the prairies, as they are in the bosom of the States?

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CHESTER-BASED Cheshire Digital Skills Academy has teamed up with the city's town crier to release his new book The Word on The Street.

Digital know-how is behind crier's new book

Crying out for more in town Oyez, Oyez, a town council has voted to continue supporting the role of town crier for another year.

Crying out for more in town; Extension of role to Phil's joy

ABRAVE town crier fought off yobs who snatched his hat and wig - by clouting them with his bell.

HELL'S BELLS! Oyez! Town crier fights off muggers by clocking them with bell

M2 EQUITYBITES-November 6, 2018-Chainlink Acquires Cornell University-Born Town Crier

Chainlink Acquires Cornell University-Born Town Crier

The first thing was for the Village Big Town Crier to go and tell the whole world that it was true that they were looking into money that came into the village unknown to the Country Giant.

Lord, what are they telling us?

They were tasked with talking about famous Huddersfield folk by Town Crier Vic Watson who organised and compered the event on Saturday.

Oh yay ... oh yay!

> The Town Crier leads the Marshfield Mummers, The Old Time Paper Boys, wearing costumes made from old newspapers, as they perform their traditional Boxing Day mummers' play in the village of Marshfield, Wiltshire, yesterday.

> The Town Crier leads [...]

ALNWICK will be a quieter - and sadder - place following the passing of its legendary championship-winning town crier.

Alnwick falls silent as famous town crier dies

They were joined by Paul Gough, town crier for Nuneaton and Bedworth, Carole Williams, town crier for Bishop's Stortford, the Rev Kelly Betteridge, vicar of St Nicolas Parish Church, the Burbage Silver Band and managing director of London Midland Patrick Verwer.

Memorial unveiled to honour victims of train disaster

TOWN crier Tony Appleton, who announced the birth of the new princess, said he was told the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would be "touched" when he asked if could make the proclamation.