noun
definition
A laborer on a civil engineering project such as a canal or railroad.
verb
definition
To carry out physical labor on a civil engineering project.
Examples of navvies in a Sentence
The contract for building the railway was put in the hands of Thomas Brassey; English navvies were largely employed on the work, and a number of English engine-drivers were employed when traffic was begun in 1843.
The line was designed, surveyed and constructed by Turkish engineers - employing Ottoman navvies and labourers - in a highly efficient and economical manner, the average cost per mile having been £3230, although considerable engineering difficulties had to be overcome, especially in the construction of the Haifa branch.
Long iron picks (16), like those of moderp navvies, were made by Greeks in the XXVIth Dynasty.
In soft material the excavation may be performed by mechanical excavators or " steam navvies," while in hard it may be necessary to resort to blasting.
A group of navvies appear to be tamping the track on the right-hand side, making it ready to receive trains.