knocker-up
Dawn shift roustabout
A knocker-up was a person hired to wake workers by knocking on their windows or doors, common in industrial Britain before alarm clocks became affordable.
They used long poles to tap on upper-story windows: The knocker-up came by at half past four to rouse the mill workers.
The occupation disappeared by the mid-twentieth century.
One who rouses sleepers
- rouserOne who stirs others
- callerOne who phones
- poleCylindrical shaft or extremity
- pebblesSmall water-smoothed stones
window · tap · rap · factory · mill · shift · worker · industrial
Urgent warning signal
- clockDevice displaying time
- schedulePlan of timed events
- shiftMovement or work period
- punctualityBeing on time
reliability · synchronization · workday · timetable · roster · early · predawn · routine
waker
One who rouses sleepers
pebbles · window · tap · rap · factory · mill · shift · worker · industrial · punctual
alarm
Urgent warning signal
punctuality · reliability · synchronization · workday · timetable · roster · early · predawn · routine · regularity
- Old Jobsblacksmith, farrier, wheelwright, chandler, apothecary
- old tradesblacksmith, blacksmithing, cooper, carpentry, cobbler
knocker-upalarm clock
Timed sleep-ender
clock · clock radio · mechanical timer · rooster · church bells