Carny
a person employed by a carnival.
carnival (def 1).
of or relating to carnivals:
carny slang.
Contemporary Examples
The freaks are cooking the books, and the carny world turns into a funhouse mirror of the allegedly real one.
The Most Underrated Novels I’ve Edited Daniel Menaker November 18, 2013
A Florida native, Russell ably captures her state’s wonky blend of natural beauty and carny effects.
Great Weekend Reads The Daily Beast February 11, 2011
Historical Examples
Some people never really adjusted to carny life—where everybody knows everything.
Charley de Milo Laurence Mark Janifer AKA Larry M. Harris
Castle of carny, in the parish of Moonzie, in the shire of Fife.
The Works of John Knox, Vol. 1 (of 6) John Knox
He felt like doing a carny barker spiel, Step right up, step right up, this way to the great egress!
Makers Cory Doctorow
He was an Armless Wonder, a born freak, the top of the carny ladder, with a good job wherever he cared to look for one.
Charley de Milo Laurence Mark Janifer AKA Larry M. Harris
It was much more like a carny haunted house trade-show floor now.
Makers Cory Doctorow
verb -nies, -nying, -nied, -neys, -neying, -neyed
(Brit, informal) to coax or cajole or act in a wheedling manner
noun (US & Canadian, slang) (pl) -nies
short for carnival
a person who works in a carnival
n.
1931, U.S. slang, short for carnival worker (see carnival).
modifier
: carny talk/ a carney family
noun
A carnival
A carnival worker or member of such a worker’s family: outdoor show people, the ”carnies,” who travel from town to town with carnivals
The occupational idiom or jargon of carnival people: I thought you talked carney by now (1930s+)
Read Also:
- Carnification
the conversion of tissue into flesh or a fleshlike substance, as of lung tissue into fibrous tissue as a result of pneumonia.
- Carniferous
bearing flesh. Historical Examples I ain’t complainin’ of de carnil an’ carniferous food she done give us, but of de spitichul nu’ishment. Stories That End Well Octave Thanet There would also be great competition for carniferous timber from other countries. Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. CLVIII, January 7, 1920 Various
- Carnify
to form or turn into flesh. Pathology. to undergo carnification. verb -fies, -fying, -fied (intransitive) (pathol) (esp of lung tissue, as the result of pneumonia) to be altered so as to resemble skeletal muscle
- Carniola
a former duchy and crown land of Austria: now part of Slovenia. Historical Examples The olm, or proteus, is found only in the underground lakes of Carniola and one or two other parts of Central Europe. The Animal World, A Book of Natural History Theodore Wood Madonna was also accompanied by the bishops of Carniola, […]
- Carnitas
small or shredded pieces of crisp roast pork, eaten as a snack, used as a filling for burritos, etc. Historical Examples I stepped into the nearest burrito joint and ordered one with carnitas — shredded pork — and extra salsa. Little Brother Cory Doctorow noun a Mexican dish of browned shredded tenderized pork, served with […]