Meaning of dusty miller | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A formulaic phrase for a miller, related to the dust generated in the milling process.
   idiomatic
2. Any of several species of plants with leaves of a dusty appearance: Centaurea cineraria, Jacobaea maritima, Artemisia stelleriana, Spyridium parvifolium, and Silene coronaria, syn. Lychnis coronaria.

Examples

“Hey, the dusty miller, / And his dusty coat! / He will win⟳ a shilling, / Ere he spend⟳ a groat. / Dusty was the coat, / Dusty was the colour; / Dusty was the kiss, / That I gat frae the miller.”

“The stereotypical image of the "dusty miller", as depicted in popular legend and some traditional literature, is a barrier, and milling is seen by younger people as low-status. There is an urgent need⟳ to change⟳ this perception through measures such as changing the designation to something like⟳ "grain and feed⟳ processing technician" and improving training provision and prospects."”

CEFR level