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A '''navvy''' was | A '''navvy''' was what [[Charles Dickens]] derisively called the [[Ninth Doctor]] upon their first encounter on [[Christmas Eve]], [[1869]]. Dickens made the comparison on the basis of the Doctor's attire. ([[DW]]: ''[[The Unquiet Dead]]'') | ||
:''In real life, a navvy was a manual laborer who was typically engaged in the construction of civil engineering projects. The term was especially in use in [[18th century]] [[Britain]], and chiefly employed with respect to the "navigational engineers" who built Britain's navigational channels, or canals. Thus, Dickens' employment of the term was a class-based insult. | :''In real life, a navvy was a manual laborer who was typically engaged in the construction of civil engineering projects. The term was especially in use in [[18th century]] [[Britain]], and chiefly employed with respect to the "navigational engineers" who built Britain's navigational channels, or canals. Thus, Dickens' employment of the term was a class-based insult.'' | ||
{{wikipediainfo}} | {{wikipediainfo}} | ||
[[Category:Occupations]] | [[Category:Occupations]] | ||
[[Category:Derogatory names and insults]] | [[Category:Derogatory names and insults]] | ||