Tollers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An informal term for dogs bred primarily for their skill in retrieving game from water or land
2. A colloquial reference to individuals who assist in collecting fees or a charge for services
3. A casual name for those who may toll, or ring, bells as part of a ritual or ceremony

Etymology: "Tollers" is the plural of "toller," the name of a retrieving dog breed, and the plural is simply the breed name in its countable form. The breed takes its name from the verb "toll," which in older English meant to lure or entice, so a toller is one that lures. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever was developed to attract waterfowl within gunshot range by playing about on the shore, and the breed's name describes that behaviour. The verb "toll" in this sense goes back to Middle English, where it had the same meaning of luring or drawing in, and the agent suffix "-er" was added to form a noun for the thing doing the luring. The Old English form "tollere" shows the same pattern, so the word has been built this way for many centuries, long before it was applied to a dog.

Synonyms: collectors, chargers, taxers