dogsbody
English
Etymology
From dog + -s- + body. 1818, British navy slang, originally derogatory reference to unappetizing pease pudding (compare dog's breakfast), as if it were made of mashed dog meat. In 20th century applied to low-ranked sailors, thence menial servants in wider usage.
Pronunciation
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "British" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈdɒɡz.bɒ.dɪ/
- Lua error in Module:parameters at line 360: Parameter 1 should be a valid language or etymology language code; the value "US" is not valid. See WT:LOL and WT:LOL/E. IPA(key): /ˈdɔɡz.bɑ.di/, /ˈdɑɡz.bɑ.di/
Audio (US): (file) Audio (AU): (file)
Noun
dogsbody (plural dogsbodies)
- (British) A person who does menial work, a servant.
- That's just Baldrick, my dogsbody. — Blackadder.
- 1995, Paul Kussmaul, Training The Translator, John Benjamins Publishing Co, p. 146:
- Furthermore, there are still rather backward opinions in our society about the role of a translator. A translator is often regarded as a linguistic dogsbody.
Synonyms
Translations
Person who does menial work
Verb
dogsbody (third-person singular simple present dogsbod, present participle ies, simple past and past participle dogsbodied)
- To act as a dogsbody, to do menial work:
- 1989, Tim Parks, Family Planning:
- Perhaps because, having been brought up in all those different countries and languages, and then studying economics of all things for just a year, followed by four years dogsbodying for a haulage company, he had never got any serious reading done.
References
- “dogsbody”, A.Word.A.Day, Anu Garg, Wordsmith.org
- “And, of course, the poloponies, Word Detective, Evan Morris, 1997–07–01