visiting fireman

visiting fireman
   1. American
   a boisterous reveller
   Especially at conventions etc. some distance from home:
    ... a visiting fireman in search of a cheap thrill would get mugged and robbed. (McBain, 1981)
   2. a person sent from headquarters to investigate the situation or correct mistakes in a subsidiary organization
   Looking for a fire or trying to extinguish it:
    He should not get into any arguments or debates with visiting firemen who take his time. (Butcher, 1946, writing of General Eisenhower in Algiers) When visiting 'firemen' move in, the bodel has to move out. (Forsyth, 1994 — a bodel is a young Israeli living abroad and spying for the Israeli secret service, MOSSAD)

How not to say what you mean: A dictionary of euphemisms. . 2014.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • visiting fireman — visiting firemen N COUNT A visiting fireman is an important visitor, who gets special treatment. [AM] ...frequent conferences with law professors and visiting firemen …   English dictionary

  • visiting fireman — ☆ visiting fireman n. Informal 1. an important person, esp. any of a group, visiting a city, organization, etc. and given an official welcome, special entertainment, etc. 2. a free spending tourist, conventioneer, etc …   English World dictionary

  • visiting fireman — noun count AMERICAN an important visitor who receives special treatment …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • visiting fireman — /vɪzətɪŋ ˈfaɪəmən/ (say vizuhting fuyuhmuhn) noun Colloquial a visiting member of high status in an organisation, such as a visiting professor in academic circles, a visiting director of a multinational company, etc …  

  • visiting fireman — n. someone paying a visit to observe one’s workplace. □ We have a couple of visiting firemen coming today. □ Be sure to have these plans out when the visiting firemen come by …   Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions

  • visiting fireman — Informal. 1. an influential person accorded special treatment while visiting an organization, industry, city, etc. 2. a visitor, as a tourist or vacationer, in a city, presumed to be a big spender. [1935 40] * * * …   Universalium

  • visiting fireman — vis′iting fire′man n. Informal. inf an influential person accorded special treatment while visiting an organization, industry, city, etc …   From formal English to slang

  • visiting fireman — noun Date: 1926 a usually important or influential visitor whom it is desirable or expedient to entertain impressively …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • visiting fireman — noun (C) especially AmE an important visitor that you need to entertain in a special way …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • visiting fireman — noun an important or distinguished visitor • Hypernyms: ↑visitor, ↑visitant …   Useful english dictionary

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