What is "boilermaker"

"a maker of boilers for engines," 1814, from boiler (n.) + maker. Meaning "shot of whiskey with a glass of beer" is short for boilermaker's delight (1910), strong cheap whiskey, so called in jest from the notion that it would clean the scales from the interior of a boiler.

n. 1 A person qualified to make or repair boilers. 2 (context US English) A whiskey with a beer chaser.

A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer and a shot of whiskey. The beer is either served as a chaser or mixed with the whiskey. When the beer is served as a chaser, the drink is often called simply a shot and a beer. In Philadelphia, it is commonly referred to as a Citywide Special, often combining Pabst Blue Ribbon or a similar inexpensive beer, with Old Crow Bourbon or another inexpensive whiskey.

In the United Kingdom, the term boilermaker refers to a half pint of draught mild mixed with a half pint of bottled brown ale. The use of the term in British pubs can be traced back to about 1920.

A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections. The name originated from craftsmen who would fabricate boilers, but they may work on projects as diverse as bridges to blast furnaces to the construction of mining equipment. The trade of Boilermaker evolved from the industrial blacksmith and was known in the early 19th century as a " boilersmith". The involvement of boilermakers in the shipbuilding and engineering industries came about because of the changeover from wood to iron as a construction material. It was easier (and cheaper) to utilize the boilermaker's skills to construct the ship as they were already present in the shipyard constructing iron boilers for wooden steamships. This utilization of skills extended to virtually everything that was large and made of iron, or later, steel. In the UK this virtual monopoly over the key skill of the industrial revolution led to them being termed 'the labour aristocracy' by historians.

A boilermaker is a trained craftsman who produces steel fabrications from plates and sections.

Boilermaker may also refer to:

• Boilermaker (beer cocktail), a drink
• Purdue Boilermakers, Purdue University's intercollegiate athletics teams
  • A student or alumnus of Purdue University
  • Statue of " The Boilermaker"
• Boilermaker, a member of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers
• Boilermaker Road Race
• "Boilermaker", a song by The Jesus Lizard from Liar