On a job of bricklaying, carpentering, or other work, it was customary for the shrewd contractor to hire one or more "rushers."
"Editorials-from-the-Hearst-Newspapers"
Brisbane, Arthur
Gets a bit of bricklaying sometimes; can turn his hand to anything.
"In-Darkest-England-and-the-Way-Out"
Booth, William
Probably he worked at bricklaying, though the taunts of his rivals would, in face of the undoubted fact of his stepfather's profession, by no means suffice to prove it.
"A History of English Literature Elizabethan Literature"
George Saintsbury