sidewalk superintendent


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sidewalk superintendent

slang Someone who observes a construction or demolition job with great interest from a vantage point outside of the job site, such as the sidewalk. There was a whole crowd of sidewalk superintendents gathered around to see the historic theater being leveled to the ground. Apparently I was quite the sidewalk superintendent as a child, spending hours watching construction crews go about their business.
See also: sidewalk

sidewalk superintendent

1. n. someone who—out of curiosity—watches excavations being dug and buildings being built. All day, the lines of sidewalk superintendents oozed by.
2. n. any critic. If another sidewalk superintendent comes in here and tries to tell me how to manage this office, heads will roll.
See also: sidewalk
References in periodicals archive ?
A renovation so extensive sidewalk superintendents thought it was new construction, the new Swanke Hayden Connell design for 320 Park Avenue at 51st Street morphed a boxlike, nondescript office building into a showcase for its investment owner, Mutual of America.
Great buildings
When sidewalk superintendents gather to watch dozens of workers busily going about their tasks, they might well wonder who is directing all the activity.
Construction managers
Alert to sidewalk superintendents: Head for the construction site of Eugene's next federal courthouse.
CONTRACTORS DIG INTO WORK
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