BulldozerD11 wrote:Its the early name often used for a Steam Shovel, Steam Navvy, that became shortened to Just Navvy. It probably came into use when the first steam shovels were used to dig project like the Panama Canal and the Manchester Ship Canal.
Derived from the old navigators who dug the canals with a wheel barrow and shovel and from place to place who were referred to as navvy's. Also used for the early (mainly) Irish ground workers on sites. (navigation being an old name for a canal i.e a navigatable waterway).
Wikipedia definition here; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navvy
Dave
thanks Dave thats great
sam