lockmen

Noun

lockman (plural lockmen)

1. (Scotland, archaic) A public executioner.
   • In 1780 James Alexander, lockman of Edinburgh, was by the city chamberlain paid for service at an execution 13s. 4d., with a fee of 2s. 6d. for the use of his rope.1884, Charles Rogers, Social Life in Scotland: From Early to Recent Times, page 54
2. (Isle of Man) An officer who acts as a kind of undersheriff to the governor.
   • the defendent must be summoned by the Coronor or his deputy (a lockman) to appear at the next court day, when the action is called in rotation.1860, M.P. Backwell, Backwell's Illustrated Guide to the Isle of Man, etc., page 50
3. A criminal who is skilled at picking locks and disabling alarm systems.
   • The other thing is, a lockman. We need somebody really good, to follow the schematics I got and shut down all the alarms without kicking them on instead.2011, Donald E Westlake, Good Behavior
4. A man who operates a lock on a waterway.
   • Near-synonyms: locktender, lockkeeper, lockmaster

   Synonyms:

   locktender, lockkeeper, lockmaster

See all 5 meanings of lockman