kirvesmies

kirves (“axe”) +‎ mies (“man”)

• IPA^(key): /ˈkirʋesˌmie̯s/, [ˈk̟irʋe̞s̠ˌmie̞̯s̠]
• Rhymes: -ies
• Syllabification^(key): kir‧ves‧mies
• Hyphenation^(key): kirves‧mies

kirvesmies

1. carpenter (person skilled at carpentry, the trade of cutting and joining timber in order to construct buildings or other large structures)

   Synonym: rakennuspuuseppä

2. (regional, slang, card games) man with the ax (nickname for the king of diamonds)

   Synonym: ruutukuningas

• The English literal translation axeman for kirvesmies is incorrect.
• The Finnish term is primarily used to refer to a carpenter who works on a construction site. A carpenter who makes furniture is usually called a puuseppä.
• As part of the general tendency of using increasingly fancy terms for traditional professions, kirvesmies is being gradually replaced by rakennuspuuseppä (“construction [site] carpenter”). EU legislation may also require such a change in official use.^[1]

• salvumies

• “kirvesmies”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2 July 2023