Meanings
plural gong scourers · alternative gong-scourer
- obsoleteOne who dug out and removed human excrement from privies and cesspits.
As you can imagine, the stench was unbearable and many gong scourers died from suffocation. When tobacco became available, many gong scourers adopted smoking, just to keep away the fumes.
2011, Mark Leigh, The Loo Companion: Are You Sitting Comfortably?, Michael O'Mara Books2 more examples
He was shocked and delighted to see the reaction of his friends and the lady they brought with them. “I am Ash, your new gong scourer at your service, my lord.” He bowed at the company before him.
2013, K. M. Snider, Betrayal of an Angel, XLibris, page 209A gong scourer (also gongfermor or gong farmer) was the man or boy who dug out and removed human faeces from privies and cesspits. Gong is derived from the Old English gang, meaning ‘to go’, and referred to both a privy and its contents.
2014, Terry Breverton, chapter 26, in Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Tudors but Were Afraid to Ask, Amberley PublishingSynonyms: gong farmer
Synonyms & antonyms
nounOne who dug out and removed human excrement from privies and cesspits.
Origin
Compound of gong (“outhouse”) + scourer.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
gong scourer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gong%20scourer
“gong scourer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gong%20scourer. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gong scourer,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gong%20scourer.
Source: gong scourer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.