Meaning

noun an open box attached to a long pole handle; bricks or mortar are carried on the shoulder

originBorrowed from Scots hod (“to jog along on horseback”), probably related to hotch (“(verb) to move up and down jerkily, bob; to jog along on horseback; to hop like a frog; to fidget; to shrug; to heave with laughter; to cause to move jerkily; to shift in a sitting position to make room for others; to be overrun with; to swarm; (figuratively) to be angry; (noun) a jerk, jolt; a shrug; a fidget,…

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0