A roughneck may work on an offshore oil drilling rig.
The term thug is used to identify an oil field worker. Used to describe a hardworking person, the rough slang name has been applied to many occupations since the early 19th century, before it was identified as the prevailing term for workers in the oil industry. Given the yard’s commonly known strength and courage, the name has been adopted by several professional sports teams to add some of the common man and hard work ethic typically associated with the oil derrick worker. When used as slang for a person or group of people outside the oil industry, the term commonly refers to the dregs of society, or disturbed and violent people, as well as those commonly seen as occupying a space between the lower levels of society. .
A red and white oil derrick. A shipyard works in an oil field.
While many oilfield workers take pride in being classified as thugs, the term hasn’t always been a catchy one. Going from the older meaning, the term bully was almost an insult. Situated between carnivals and wandering bums, anyone marked with the title of thug was a person to watch carefully and even avoid as much as possible. Associated with the term handyman, a thug was a person who did extreme manual labor, often for low wages, and usually had no ties to the community in which he worked. Eventually, in the early to mid-1930s, the term became associated with the oil industry, where it became almost a status symbol and a source of pride for many workers.
While the term given to workers on an oil rig is considered a type of identifier and confers a level of status to the position, it generally applies only to skilled and unskilled workers who are directly involved in connecting the oil pipeline. drilling or in performing the drilling. functions on the tower floor. Workers united under the term thug can also be divided into smaller subgroup identifiers, usually related to the type of work the worker performs. Titles like tool pusher, driller, and driver are just a few of the more descriptive titles given to those who work on oilfield drilling rigs.
Sports teams adopted the title to add a sense of team personality in sports such as professional hockey, lacrosse, and football. Even the Rubbermaid® company used the term to identify the strongest garbage bags and containers in their range. Originally used to identify the lowest element in society, the name is now commonly used to identify those of great strength and stature among the working class.