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> At the root of the problem are cowboy traders who apply the foam without a full survey or appropriate expertise.
by pif 2y ago
> At the root of the problem are cowboy traders who apply the foam without a full survey or appropriate expertise.
- eadmund 2y agoI was initially confused when I read it, but I think that ‘trader’ here must be the politically-correct word for ‘tradesman’ (someone engaged in a trade) rather than someone who trades (like a stockbroker).
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- lostlogin 2y agoIs this incorrect? Can a down-voter comment? I might learn something.
- Dobbs 2y agoIt is correct in so far as Trader == tradesmen. But it isn't some "politically correct" thing. Also attributing political correctness to terms is often a political move in and of themselves.
- Rattay 2y ago'Cowboy' insert trade here. The ride into town, take on the job and your money, then ride off into the sunset never to be seen again and leave you to clean up the mess... It's a really old, and well known, UK expression, and not an affectionate one. Although 'Tradesman' (or tradeswoman) is the overwhelmingly correct term in the UK for those kind of jobs, whether the work they produce is good or bad.
- pif 2y agoCollins and Merriam-Webster dictionaries agree with him. Down-voters may have considered that the sentence was clear enough anyway.
- djbusby 2y agoDidn't vote; In AUS I've heard "tradey" for trades-person.
- arethuza 2y ago"Tradey" very common in the UK as well.
- wodenokoto 2y agoI think the meaning of trader is pretty obvious from context. Where the downvoted is wrong is saying it is somehow a PC term.
- Dobbs 2y ago> politically-correct word for ‘tradesman’ There is nothing politically correct or incorrect about it. It is just the standard term. Meanwhile in Australia they use 'Tradie' from what I understand.
- manarth 2y agoYou're correct, "cowboy traders" is a British idiom for tradesmen without the appropriate skills, qualifications or experience to fulfil their contract responsibility. It can also refer to those who will take on contracts (plumbing / landscaping / roofing / building work / etc) without any intention of fulfilling them, or charge exorbitant, inappropriate and unagreed prices. It's in such common British use that a TV show named "Cowboy Traders" was aired in 2012. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3364380/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3364380/
- michaelt 2y agoA more common idiom is "cowboy builders" But it's understandable why they haven't used that here, as an insulation installer would rarely be called a builder, just like an electrician or plumber would rarely be called a builder.
- gambiting 2y agoIn the UK all people who do these kinds of jobs(builder, plumbers, electricians etc) are called traders, I've never heard anyone use the word "tradesman".
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- arethuza 2y agoIndeed the status of working for yourself and running a business is known as being a "sole trader": https://www.gov.uk/become-sole-trader https://www.gov.uk/become-sole-trader
- bloak 2y agoYes, but as I understand it, being a "sole trader" is different from being a "tradesperson". If you're an employed plumber, or you're a plumber with your own limited company, then you're a tradesperson but not a sole trader. If you do web sites or IT support on your own and without having set up a limited company then you're a sole trader but not a tradesperson.
- arethuza 2y agoWhat I meant is that "trader" is a pretty generic term in the UK and doesn't imply that you work in finance and isn't PC related.
- pif 2y agoCould you please offer a link to an online dictionary offering this definition? Thanks in advance!
- gambiting 2y ago....What definition? As a Brit, I'm telling you that's what we call people in these professions, anyone who comes to work on your house is a "trader" - you can choose to believe me or not lol. Edit: and as another commenter pointed out, it's literally the government definition of someone running their own business - "sole trader".
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- hprotagonist 2y agothe -er shortening ending is one of several in UK english. (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_%22-er%22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_%22-er%22) "tradie" is the variant i encounter more often, though.
- happytoexplain 2y agoI'm not sure how you're applying the phrase "politically correct" here, but yes, it is a normal abbreviation for "tradesman".
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]