counterjumper

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈkaʊntɚˌdʒʌmpɚ/ UK /ˈkaʊntəˌdʒʌmpə/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
a derogatory old term for a shop assistant or salesclerk

The snobbish lord dismissed him as a mere counterjumper.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a derogatory old term for a... salesclerkshopkeeper clerk shopman

Word family

Related forms counter jump jumper

Etymology

A compound of 'counter' (the shop sales counter) plus 'jumper', a jocular reference to a clerk vaulting over the counter to serve customers; coined as a slang derogation in the 19th century.

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

# counterjumper

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈkaʊntɚˌdʒʌmpɚ
**IPA (UK):** ˈkaʊntəˌdʒʌmpə

## Meanings
1. a derogatory old term for a shop assistant or salesclerk

## Examples
- The snobbish lord dismissed him as a mere counterjumper.

## Synonyms
- salesclerk
- shopkeeper
- clerk
- shopman

## Related Forms
- counter
- jump
- jumper

## Etymology
A compound of 'counter' (the shop sales counter) plus 'jumper', a jocular reference to a clerk vaulting over the counter to serve customers; coined as a slang derogation in the 19th century.

## AI Etymology
Counterjumper is a compound of 'counter' (the shop sales counter) plus 'jumper', a jocular reference to a clerk vaulting over the counter to serve customers; coined as a slang derogation in the 19th century. In present use as a noun, it means "a derogatory old term for a shop assistant or salesclerk", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Its colloquial history matters: the word belongs to informal usage before settling into the present dictionary sense. Related words include counter, jump, and jumper.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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counterjumper

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