Cherrypickers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. People who pick ripe fruit from cherry trees by hand ; those who selectively favor only the finest options from a larger set ; mechanical lifts with a raised platform used to reach high work sites
2. Workers who gather cherries from orchard branches ; individuals who take only the most desirable pieces and leave the rest ; hydraulic booms fitted with a basket that carry people up to elevated places
3. Pickers who harvest cherries by hand from the trees ; people who skim off the best of something and ignore the remainder ; vehicles fitted with an extendable arm and platform for reaching overhead tasks

Etymology: "Cherrypickers" is the plural of "cherrypicker," a compound of "cherry" and "picker," so the history of the word lies in the sense of its parts. The whole term is built from ordinary English words: the fruit, and one who picks. Its meaning rests on the image of someone selecting only the best cherries from a tree and leaving the rest, which is why the word carries the idea of choosing the most desirable items from a larger set.