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The word Navvy is short for navigator the name given to the men who dugand maintained the drainage canals in the Fens of Cambridge and Lincolnshire. In the early days of the railways it was these men who were employed to build them. As railway construction expanded men came from all over the country including Ireland but the name stuck.

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Q: What do navvies mean?
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What does navvies mean?

The Irish labours who built the canal system in England were called navigators, shortened to navvies.


What is the collective noun of navvies?

The noun 'navvies' doesn't have its own collective noun. Since navvies were the workmen who built the railroads, a collective noun suitable for workmen will work; a gang of navvies, a crew of navvies, etc.


How many navvies did it take to buildClaedonian railway?

A lot of navvies


What were the navvies and what did they do?

They dug canals.


Are navvies different to navvy?

"Navvies" refers to a group of laborers working on civil engineering projects, while "navvy" specifically refers to an individual laborer within that group. So, "navvies" is plural and encompasses multiple workers, while "navvy" is singular and refers to a single worker.


What did the British Empire gain from Ireland?

Irish navvies


Why were the Victorian builders called the navvies?

Navvie is short for navigator Navvie is short for navigator


Why did Irish navvies come to Britain?

To find work as there was more work in Britain than in Ireland.


When were navvies invented?

The term, 'navvie', is short for 'navigator' -the name that, at one time, was given to labourers who dug trenches.


What has the author Alun Francis written?

Alun Francis has written: 'Contexture in paralax 2' -- subject(s): Wind quintets (Bassoon, clarinet, flute, horn, oboe) 'The Navvies' Union and the building of the Manchester Ship Canal' -- subject(s): Navvies' Bricklayers' Labourers' and General Labourers' Union


What materials are needed to build a railroad?

Don't worry about it(: Explosives, bricks, ballast, steel rails, concrete, navvies and lots of beer


Where did the Irish potato famine settle?

They probably settled near the hamilton area because the irish built the welland canal and were known as navvies.