jobber

job +‎ -er

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• Rhymes: -ɒbə(ɹ)

jobber (plural jobbers)

1. (archaic) (Can we clean up⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) One who works by the job and recruits other people. [19th c.]
2. (business) An intermediary who buys and sells merchandise.
3. (US, business) A type of intermediary in the apparel industry, as well as others, who buys excess merchandise from brand owners and manufacturers, and sells to retailers at prices that are 20-70% below wholesale.
4. (Britain, finance) A market maker on the stock exchange.
5. (obsolete, Britain, finance) A promoter or broker of stocks for investment.

   An act to restrain the number and ill practice of brokers and stock jobbers: 8 & 9 Wm. 3, ch. 32 (1697) [legislation of English parliament]

6. (professional wrestling slang) A performer whose primary role is to lose to established talent.
7. (slang) A thing (often used in a vague way to refer to something the name of which one cannot recall).
8. (theater) An actor temporarily employed for a specific role, often in a touring company.
   • 1957, Lorna Marie Wildon, A survey of contemporary American musical arena theatres, and an analysis of problems of organization and production

     Most of the music circuses use jobbers in four to eight of the leading roles for each show. These jobbers are principal actors who are employed for one or two leading roles during the season. There is no difference between a star and a jobber, except that a jobber is not necessarily a "big-name" performer […]

   • 1986, J. Allen, The 1986 Summer Theater Guide (page 83)

     Jobbers are used as needed.

Because of the negative connotations of the word jobber, the sense of "intermediary in the apparel industry" has been superseded by the more politically-correct term off-price specialist.

• (wrestling): jabroni

• clock-jobber
• land-jobber
• stock-jobber
• watch-jobber

jobber m pl

1. indefinite plural of jobb

jobber

1. present tense of jobbe