Definition of "batman"

[A]s a rule the chambers were occupied only by Stack, who had been Wilfrid's batman in the war, and had for him one of those sphinx-like habits which wear better than expressed devotions.

1932, John Galsworthy, chapter III, in Flowering Wilderness […], London: William Heinemann, page 19

He became my retainer, my batman, the solution to my ever-growing need for an extra pair of hands.

2008, Darren Smith, Fade, page 278

Thank you to a special Carer, Thank you for being my nurse, My housemaid, and my cook, My batman and my chauffeur, And my eyes when I forget to look!

2012, Jeffery Hayton, Just One More Time, page 78

The Quease, as you will have read, thought this a huge cheek and, as is ever the case with her, was not slow to point it out. She further accused me of treating him as my batman.

2014, Andrew S Cowan, Estate Life, page 186

Batmanning was voluntary. McPherson was a bit incensed about the loss of his batman, but he made do with somebody else.

1985, Chris Vokes, John Philip Maclean, Vokes, my story, page 98

OK, I batmanned. Give me an Xterm.

2000, Baylor Wetzel, Winter Project, page 96

Yes, well, had I known you were having a row with the loo, I would have batmanned the other direction.

2014, Andris Bear, Lust

The preservation of the batmanning system in captivity was established through an Anglo-German agreement of 1918, which had allowed one orderly to be allocated to a group of seven imprisoned captains, one to a group of four field officers and one to each general.

2017, Clare Makepeace, Captives of War

Euery bateman [in Bagdad] maketh 7. pound and 5. ounces English waight.

1583 July 20, J. Newbery, letter in Richard Hakluyt's The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, p. 209

A Batman is fiue and fiftie pound weight English.

1614, Samuel Purchas, Purchas His Pilgrimage, page 544

Their weights [in Khiva] are the great batman equal to 18 lb. russian, and the lesser batman 9¼.

1753, G. Thompson & al. in Jonas Hanway's Historical Account of the British Trade over the Caspian Sea, Vol. I, p. 351

At Smyrna, the cantaro, or kintal, contains 45 okes, or 100 rottoli. The batman is 6 okes, or 2400 drachms; and the oke is 400 drachms, and the rottolo = 180 drachms. The cantaro of 45 okes weighs 123 lbs. 4 oz. avoirdupois; and, therefore, the oke is = 2 lbs. 11 oz. 13 drs. avoirdupois.

1819, Abraham Rees, The Cyclopaedia, Vol. XXX, s.v. "Rottolo"

6107. Turkish Weights. The Turkish Chequi is 11⅓ ounces avoirdupois...1 Batman = 6 Okas1 Oka = 4 Chequi

1900, William B. Dick, Encyclopedia of Practical Receipts and Processes, page 530

At 16,200 feet I batmanned madly down the fixed ropes, stopping constantly to catch my breath, not sure how much longer I could continue.

1993, Steve Roper, Allen Steck, The Best of Ascent: Twenty-Five Years of the Mountaineering Experience

Instead, they batmanned effortlessly hand-over-hand up the rope like kids pulling in perch.

2005, Alan Hobson, Jamie Clarke, Above All Else: The Everest Dream, page 53

The Germans had left fixed ropes in place, which the Brits unashamedly batmanned up to reach the summit ridge.

2006, Alpinist - Issue 18; Issue 20‎, page 36

So without hesitation I “batmanned” the rope, freed it, and we continued.

2011, Kerry Burns, Cameron Burns, Climb: Tales of Man Versus Boulder, Crag, Wall, and Peak, page 96

When climbers fall they will usually want to return to their high point to resume climbing, and that will either involve batmanning or boinking.

2018, Nate Fitch, Ron Funderburke, Climbing: From First-Timer to Gym Climber