sandhog

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

A person employed to dig tunnels, or (more generally) to work underground or under water.

Register: slang

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

Sandhogs working behind a hydraulic shield excavated the riverbed silt inch by inch and installed linking sections of cast-iron tubes as they went. The digging chamber was filled with compressed air pumped in from the surface. The work was dangerous. The men who did the work, the sandhogs, were cons

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “sandhog” mean?

A person employed to dig tunnels, or (more generally) to work underground or under water.

Is “sandhog” formal or informal?

sandhog is generally slang.