The Collaborative International Dictionary
Tidewaiter
Tidewaiter \Tide"wait`er\, n.
A customhouse officer who watches the landing of goods from
merchant vessels, in order to secure payment of duties.
--Swift.
Wiktionary
tidewaiter
n. A customs officer who oversees the landing of goods from merchant vessels in order to secure payment of duty.
Usage examples of "tidewaiter".
Down the river there is a tidewaiter who was formerly professor of French in the Imperial University of St.
Madras, and now he is a third class assistant tidewaiter in the Imperial Maritime Customs of China, with a salary as low as his spirits are high.