n. A person who supports a political figure chiefly out of selfish interests.
n. A member of a criminal gang.
n. A page to a prince or other person of high rank.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
n. An attendant; a servant; a follower. Now chiefly used as a political cant term.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
n. A groom; a footman; a male attendant; a follower.
n. Hence A mercenary adherent; a venal follower; one who holds himself at the bidding of another.
WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
n. someone who assists in a plot
Word Usage
"By the time he gets around to killing her, however, Ferguson has sent his own man -- so Victor kills him just as the henchman is about to shoot Rose, then hires himself out to Rose as a bodyguard."