do-little

American  

[doo-lit-l] / ˈduˌlɪt l /

noun

1. a lazy person; one who does little but does not admit to it.

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Etymology

Origin of do-little

First recorded in 1580–90; do ¹ ( def. ) + little ( def. )

Example Sentences

For many years, postal reform was the poster child of a do-little Congress.

From Washington Post • Jan. 21, 2016

When he ran for reëlection, in 2014, the Los Angeles Times editorial board preceded its endorsement of him by calling the position a “notoriously do-little job.”

From The New Yorker • Feb. 12, 2015

Big, grey-haired Andrew F. Schoeppel, the kind of do-little statesman whose name is likely to elude the most earnest followers of affairs in the U.S.

From Time Magazine Archive

The dignified, do-little Council of Europe is the unofficial talking box of Europe's elder statesmen and orators.

From Time Magazine Archive

But Scud the "easy," Scud the do-little, Scud the good-for-naught—Scud, of whom nobody expected anything—comfortable, self-indulgent Scud, rowed on sturdily straight out into that hell.

From A Republic Without a President and Other Stories by Ward, Herbert D. (Herbert Dickinson)