tallyman

T1A1L1L1Y4M3A1N1

noun

A person who keeps a tally of something.

Scrabble 13

Meanings

nountallyman (plural tallymen)

plural tallymen

  1. A person who keeps a tally of something.

    At the prefab site entrance, we collect our breathing apparatus from the 'tallyman' who books people in and out of the tunnel.

    2022 March 23, Paul Bigland, “HS2 is just 'passing through'”, in RAIL, number 953, page 41
    1 more example

    Uncoupling a train into cuts in the reception sidings - as a shunter wields his pole, the tallyman reads off details of the train to the Traffic Office through his portable radio transmitter.

    1960 July, G. Freeman Allen, “Margam yard - the most modern in Europe”, in Trains Illustrated, page 406, photo caption
  2. A man who conducts the tally trade.
  3. archaicinformalregionalA man who cohabits (with someone) outside of marriage.

    The term tally-man and tally-woman, indicating a man and woman living together without marriage, are used in mining districts, where such unions are far from uncommon.

    1890, Thomas Ratcliffe, “Tally-woman”, in Notes and Queries, page 297
  4. IrelandgovernmentA counting agent; typically one who is a man.

Synonyms & antonyms

Origin

Cite this entry
APA

tallyman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tallyman

MLA

“tallyman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tallyman. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tallyman,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tallyman.

Source: tallyman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.