/rowst"euh bowt'/ , n.
1. a wharf laborer or deck hand, as on the Mississippi River.
2. an unskilled laborer who lives by odd jobs.
3. a circus laborer who helps in setting up and taking down the tents and in caring for the animals, equipment, and grounds.
4. any unskilled laborer working in an oil field. Cf. roughneck (def. 2).
[ 1865-70, Amer.; ROUST + ABOUT ]