dogsbody

[ dawgz-bod-ee, dogz- ]

noun

, Chiefly British Slang.

, plural dogs·bod·ies.

1. a menial worker; drudge.

dogsbody

/ ˈdɒɡzˌbɒdɪ /

noun

1. informal.
   a person who carries out menial tasks for others; drudge

verb

1. intr to act as a dogsbody

Word History and Origins

Origin of dogsbody¹

First recorded in 1810–20; originally a junior naval officer, earlier a sailor's term for soaked sea biscuits or pease pudding

Example Sentences

Aiding everyone is Lisa Kwak as The Mute, a sort of onstage stagehand and dogsbody who distributes props as needed, moves set pieces and generally keeps the show moving.

From Seattle Times

He said: "He started out as a dogsbody at the Croydon Times and then just built this empire of 220 papers across the country."

From BBC

He had dreamed of going on radio, and on a tip from a New York announcer moved to Miami, where he got a job as a dogsbody at a small station, WHAR.

From The Guardian

I was 21, and worked at French Vogue as a general dogsbody and, just like Emily, my French boss despaired of me.

From The Guardian

Emotional and artistic complexity are perfectly poised in this account of a listless 36-year-old office dogsbody who is thrown into an existential crisis by an encounter with his estranged dad.

From The Guardian