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prettygoodwordswamper (SWOM-per) - (N. Amer.) n., someone who lives in or is familiar with swampy areas; a general assistant or helper, esp. one performing tasks requiring little training, such as a) clearing brush for loggers, b) assisting a truck, mule-train, or horse-team driver, c) assisting a cook in a bar or saloon, or d) assisting a river guide.
That last is the meaning I first was aware of -- in particular, on paddle boats running the Grand Canyon, but they're used pretty much wherever there's white-water rafting. The first meaning has an obvious origin, from swamp itself, but the connection of the derivative senses is obscure.
---L.
That last is the meaning I first was aware of -- in particular, on paddle boats running the Grand Canyon, but they're used pretty much wherever there's white-water rafting. The first meaning has an obvious origin, from swamp itself, but the connection of the derivative senses is obscure.
---L.
