Short for mason tender: the crew member who stocks brick at the mason's elbow, mixes mortar and castable, runs the saw, handles tear-out debris and moves scaffolding. On a refractory reline the tenders often outnumber the masons, and their pace sets the pace of the whole job. Many brickies start out as tenders.
Heard on the job
Masons are standing around waiting on brick, get another tender on the hoist.
Also heard as
- mason tender
- hod carrier
- helper