no-man

1. alternativeAlternative form of noman.

plural no-men

1. rareA (male) person who does not always agree with their employer or superior.

   The fighting in Muscat and Oman last week inspired one Washington wit as follows: Who is the Sultan of Muscat and Oman? Is he a yes-man or a no-man? Is he a pro or anti-status-quo man? Is he noblest like a Roman? Or Abominable, like a Snowman? Whoa, man!

   1957 July 29, “Random Notes From Washington: Capitol to Get New Phone Number […]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC

   4 more examples

   Miss Bayes described her new spouse as a “no-man,” which, she said was the opposite of a “yes-man.” “He knows how to say ‘no’, and I know when he means it. Mr. Friedland said ‘no’ when I told him we could live in my house at 626 West End Avenue. He said he wouldn’t be put in a position where his friends could say, ‘He lives in his wife’s house.’ So he bought the house that I owned and then gave it back to me for a wedding present.”

   1925 April 7, “Nora Bayes Back with Fifth Husband […]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC

   The first stage is when the corporation is managed by extremely old men. […] But the first stage can be cured, if taken in time and the cure is, says Wall Street, to develop a “No-man.” […] The “No-man,” on the other hand, is usually a hard-bitten accountant. He antagonizes everybody in the company and enjoys doing so. […] The “No-man” of one of the largest private banking concerns in Wall Street was, for example, recently in conference with all the company’s officers, including the president. Incidentally, this “No-man’s” salary is $14,000, and his income was the smallest of any one in that room. “We ought to do so-and-so,” the president suggested, without thinking very deeply. “Why, Colonel; you’re crazy!” the “No-man” exclaimed bluntly, thinking very deeply about the practical problem and not thinking at all about the form in which he expressed his dissent.

   1929 April 15, Ranulph Kingsley, “Business Displacing ‘Yes-Man’ in Favor of New Functionary […]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, published 21 April 1929, →ISSN, →OCLC

   On the West Coast his characteristics are better known. They have been revealed time and again in his attitude toward his money, toward his business associates, toward movie-making, toward the glamour of Hollywood and toward the technological aspects of the aviation industry. In all these matters Mr. Hughes has shown himself to be a no-man in the land of yes-men, a leading contemporary example of the genus Rugged Individualist.

   1947 August 17, Gladwin Hill, “No-Man in the Land of Yes-Men […]”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC

   “He was against the palace,” says [Cristian] Sturda, against “the guardians of soccer.” In the ’90s, Zeman had been vocal in his critiques of Conte’s Juventus for alleged doping violations. Zeman became known in the press as “the great accuser of Juventus.” “He was the no-man, not the yes-man, and we really appreciated that,” Sturda says.

   2021 November 2, David Gendelman, “‘Derby of the heart’: When Conte joined Juventus, his hometown saw him as a hero. Then he did something unforgivable.”, in The Athletic, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 04 Sep 2026