Footman

A foot soldier. An attendant or foot-servant. In early use, a runner in attendance upon a rider of rank. And, later, a servant who ran before his master's carriage, called more fully a 'running-footman' (OED).

"After dinner I went by water to Whitehall to the Privy Seal, and that done with Mr. Moore and Creed to Hide Park by coach, and saw a fine foot-race three times round the Park between an Irishman and Crow, that was once my Lord Claypoole's footman. Crow beat the other by above two miles."

Samuel Pepys, Diary (August 10, 1660).

Archer

Someone trained in the shooting of a bow and arrow, especially as a soldier or guard.

"If wee can doe this, Cupid is no longer an archer."

Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing (1599).

Politics and the Gaming Industry

“There was money to be had for our campaign, but unfortunately always money that we could not take. As soon as it became evident that we had a real movement, we began to have visits from well-dressed, smooth-spoken persons familiar with politics, who offered us the solution to all our problems. The first was a representative of a group of men who conducted a gambling game, and at that time were taking sixty-five thousand dollars a day from the people of Los Angeles. All these people wanted to know was that if I was elected Governor I would let them alone. On that basis I could have ‘anything within reason.’ I never found out how much that was, because I told the gentleman that we were not making political promises, except those in our program.”

Upton Sinclair, I, Candidate for Governor and How I Got Licked (1934).

Engineer

Someone who designs and constructs military works for attack or defense. Someone who designs and constructs works of public use, such as bridges, roads, canals, railways, harbors, draining works, gas, or water works.

"Wit's an unruly engine, wildly striking Sometimes a friend, sometimes the engineer."

George Herbert, A priest to the temple (1633).

A Complaint of the Blacksmiths

A metalworker who wields fire and bellows, hammer and anvil.

"Swart smutted smiths, smattered with smoke,

Drive me to death with din of their dints;

Such noise on nights ne heard men never,

What knaven cry and clattering of knocks!

The crooked caitiffs cryen after col! col!

And blowen their bellows that all their brain bursteth.

Huf! puf! saith that one; haf! paf! that other;

They spitten and sprawlen and spellen many spells.

They grawen and gnashen, they groan all together,

And holden them hot with their hard hammers.

Of a bull-hide be their barm-fells;

Their shanks be shackled for the fiery flinders;

Heavy hammers they have that hard be handled,

Stark strokes they striken on a steely stock,

Lus! bus! las! das! snore they by the row,

Such doleful a dream the devil it to-drive!

The master loungeth a little, and catcheth a less,

Twineth them twain and toucheth a treble,

Tik! tak! hic! hac! tiket! taket! tyk! tyk!

Lus! bus! lus! das!... Christ them give sorrow!

May no man for brenn-waters on night have his rest."

"A Poet's Complaint of the Blacksmiths," Arundel Manuscript (14th century).

Junkman

A gatherer in and reseller of (almost) worthless stuff.

“He was leaving behind his few ruined sticks of furniture—a junkman had wanted to be paid to take them—and two sets of cracked dishes, also unsaleable, that Shmuel could do with whatever he wanted—use, ax, or fire—they were worth nothing.”

Bernard Malamud, The Fixer (1966).

Forger

Someone who forges metal. A smith. A counterfeiter.

"Thinke not that I have forg'd or am not able Verbatim to rehearse the Methode of my Penne."

Shakespeare, Henry VI (1591).